Aspen Ladd vs. Leslie Smith among additions to UFC Fight Night 128 in Atlantic City

The UFC’s spring return to New Jersey has started to build with the addition of three fights.

Aspen Ladd (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take on Leslie Smith (10-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in a women’s bantamweight bout at UFC Fight Night 128.

In addition, Merab Dvalishvili (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will meet Augusto Mendes (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at bantamweight and Magomed Bibulatov (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will fight Ulka Sasaki (20-5-2 MMA, 3-4 UFC) at flyweight. UFC officials announced the new bookings Saturday during the UFC Fight Night 125 broadcast.

UFC Fight Night 128 will take place April 21 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The main card will air on FS1 following prelims on FS2 and UFC Fight Pass.

Ladd stayed unbeaten when she made her promotional debut this past October at UFC Fight Night 118 in Poland. She stopped Lina Lansberg with a second-round TKO for her fifth finish in six wins. Prior to coming to the UFC, Ladd was a perfect 5-0 under the Invicta FC banner.

Leslie Smith

After a loss to current women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg in a 140-pound catchweight fight at UFC 198, Smith has gone 2-0. In December 2016, she took a unanimous decision from Irene Aldana in a “Fight of the Night” winner. And this past July in Scotland, she stopped Amanda Lemos with a second-round TKO.

Augusto Mendes

Mendes will try to get back on track after a decision loss to Aljamain Sterling in April 2017 at UFC on FOX 24 in Kansas City. He started his career 5-0, but was knocked out in the first round by eventual bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt in a short-notice promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 83. He rebounded with a split-decision win over Frankie Saenz a little more than a year ago, but was back in the loss column against Sterling.

Merab Dvalishvili

Dvalishvili, who trains with Ray Longo and Matt Serra in New York, signed with the UFC on the strength of a six-fight winning streak. But in his promotional debut, that streak was snapped with a split-decision loss to Saenz at UFC Fight Night 123 in December. It was his first setback in more than three years.

Magomed Bibulatov

Bibulatov started his career a perfect 14-0, including a decision win over Jenel Lausa in his promotional debut at UFC 210. But at UFC 216 this past October, he was knocked out by former flyweight title challenger John Moraga in the first round – his first loss. Now he’ll try to rebound against Sasaki.

Ulka Sasaki

Sasaki needs to get back on track, as well. After his bonus-winning promotional debut submission win over Roland Delorme in August 2014 extended his unbeaten streak to 12 fights, he has struggled. He has won just two of his past six fights, and in September was submitted by Jussier Formiga in the first round in Japan. Since dropping to flyweight, he has alternated wins and losses.

With the additions, the UFC Fight Night 128 card now includes:

• Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Luan Chagas
• Aspen Ladd vs. Leslie Smith
• Merab Dvalishvili vs. Augusto Mendes
• Magomed Bibulatov vs. Ulka Sasaki

For more on UFC Fight Night 128, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.