10 Biggest MMA Prospects Pushed Too Soon

With the Women’s Bantamweight division stagnating in recent years, you can understand the UFC making a big deal when a new prospect finally emerges.

After an unbeaten start with the feeder promotion Invicta, Aspen Ladd caught the eye of the company’s brass with two stoppage wins and a Fight of the Night bonus in her first three fights, but her performance against Flyweight journeywoman Sijara Eubanks left many fearing she lacked the stand-up to compete with the sport’s elite.

It was therefore a surprise when Ladd was given a Main Event slot against former champion Germaine De Randamie, who entered the fight as the number one contender and was widely considered one of the division's best strikers.

The result was a foregone conclusion; Ladd was dropped almost immediately by an overhand right before Herb Dean ended the match sixteen seconds into the first, equalling the record for the fastest knockout in the division’s history.

The fight may prove an example of a loss benefiting a fighter; Aspen has a chance to tighten the flaws in her game without the fanfare that would’ve come with being an unbeaten fighter entering a title match, and at 25 has still yet to enter her physical prime. The biggest loser however was the UFC, who derailed a much-needed hype train through careless matchmaking in a division in dire need of vigour.