Aspen Ladd Set for BKB 58 Bare Knuckle Boxing Debut

Aspen Ladd will make her BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing debut this weekend against former BKB welterweight title challenger Bianca Daimoni, with the super lightweight bout set for BKB 58 on August 29 in Miami.

The move marks Ladd's second stint in bare-knuckle competition after she debuted in the sport with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship last November. She has fought previously in the UFC, Bellator, and PFL, and BKB now becomes her primary focus going forward.

Why Ladd Left BKFC for BKB

Ladd said the biggest driver behind the switch was frequency of work, not any single incident. "I'm not okay with waiting for six, seven, eight months and fighting maybe once a year. That's not cool. I want to build a record," she said. She added that the process leading to BKFC bookings often stalled out before a fight materialized, telling Bare Knuckle Bowker, "It was a whole lot of being told you're going to fight, you have a fight, or we're trying to get you a fight, and then nothing."

Ladd said she still enjoys bare-knuckle as a sport but wanted an organization that could turn opportunities into actual bookings. She pointed to how BKB treats its roster as a deciding factor. "One of the things I saw leading up to it was how they supported their BKB athletes in their boxing fights," she said. "They don't just say you have an opportunity to, they're actually they're real about it."

Ladd Is Eyeing Belts, Not Just a Debut Win

Ladd framed the Daimoni fight as the opening step toward a title run rather than a standalone appearance. "My entire goal with this organization is get the belt, and then there's multiple weight classes I could fight in," she said. "So I am on a quest for belts at BKB."

She also left the door open to competing across more than one weight class down the line. "The 140 lb weight class is perfect for me, right? But there's two other options here, but they would have to make sense," Ladd said, adding that 147 pounds would be an easy fit and that even 135 is doable in the right circumstances.

Ladd said the deal does not shut off other combat sports entirely. "I can still compete in other combat sports if I choose to, but right now Bare Knuckle is my focus," she said, noting a return to MMA is not off the table long term even as BKB remains her home for bare-knuckle fighting.

Betting Angle

Ladd enters BKB 58 as the more decorated name on paper given her run through the UFC, Bellator and PFL before moving into bare-knuckle. Facing a former BKB welterweight title challenger in Daimoni at a catchweight bout gives her an early gauge of where she stands in the promotion before any title conversation becomes real. Bettors watching the bare-knuckle space should treat this less as a tune-up and more as the first data point on how Ladd's MMA pedigree translates once gloves come off for a second organization, a track record worth building before the market prices her into serious title odds.

BKB 58 takes place August 29 in Miami.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Aspen Ladd fighting in her BKB debut?

Aspen Ladd is fighting Bianca Daimoni, a former BKB welterweight title challenger, in a super lightweight bout at BKB 58.

When and where is BKB 58?

BKB 58 takes place on August 29 in Miami, Florida, and features Aspen Ladd's promotional debut against Bianca Daimoni.

Did Aspen Ladd fight in bare-knuckle boxing before BKB?

Yes, Aspen Ladd made her bare-knuckle debut with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) last November before signing with BKB.