Today at the UFC 235 press conference, Dana White shocked many when he announced that the fight between Holly Holm and Aspen Ladd had been canceled. He said that they were actively looking for different fights for both of them and neither would compete on March 2nd, but did not give a reason as to why the bout came apart. Ladd took to Twitter right away to state that it was Holm who pulled out, not her:
I signed to fight you @HollyHolm on 12/27/18, now u back out, I’m ready, let’s go! @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite @ufc
— Aspen Ladd (@AspenLaddMMA) February 1, 2019
It was assumed that Holm was out due to injury, as is usually the case in these situations. But according to Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez, that’s not the case. He explained their side of things to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto;
Comment from Holly Holm’s agent Lenny Fresquez, who says today’s UFC 235 fight cancellation is related to ongoing negotiations to extend her contract. pic.twitter.com/GOIrrjwlWq
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 1, 2019
“We’re in negotiations on a contract extension right now. Holly was looking forward to this fight, she was looking forward to fighting Aspen Ladd. She’s very disappointed this fight is not happening, but she understands this is a business. We’re in the middle of these negotiations right now, and everybody thought it would be best to get through that.”
Holm (12-4) hasn’t competed since a decision win over Megan Anderson last June. UFC 235 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Anthony Smith.
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