Aspen Ladd is behind the 8-ball, and she knows it, which is why her mentality heading into her next battle is a little different.
Ladd (10-4) will face Karolina Sobeck (4-1) in her second women’s featherweight bout of the season at the 2023 PFL 5 on June 16 at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Both fighters come into the match under less-than-ideal conditions after losing their season openers last April in PFL 2.
Ten weeks later, with no points in the standings, it would take a six-point first round finish for Ladd to guarantee herself a spot in the playoffs. A second-round finish (five points) would also likely do the trick. Winning the decision is not something she can risk.
pressure, you say? Ladd admits she feels it, but it doesn’t bother her much.
“Absolutely, especially going into this,” Ladd told MMA Junkie Radio. “I need as many points as possible. Going into it, he’s basically trying to treat it like it’s a 5-minute fight.”
She continued, “Any fight I’ve been in is pressure. It’s a different kind of pressure with the points system and the amount of riding in the next system, so there’s definitely that. BS can’t be any slow start this time.”
This is what happened when Ladd lost a majority decision to Olena Kolesnik. Ladd struggled in the early rounds and it wasn’t until the third that she dominated. At this point, it was too late.
Ladd said that wouldn’t be the case this time.
“More urgency,” Ladd said of what she needed in exchange for Sobek. “I started very slow. I went back and watched it, and there are certain things I wasn’t doing in my takedowns. I was OK, but I was shifting too far. …
“That’s all I have. It’s in the mind, it’s in the mindset, not overthinking things. It’s really just that—not overthinking, just going in and performing.”
The one thing Lad likes about getting along with Sobek is that she too has to feel the same urgency since she also needs the maximum points to progress.
“I hope so,” Ladd said. “It’s annoying when you have opponents who don’t necessarily want to get involved. The funniest, most fun type of fight is when you go out there and both of you want it.”
For more card information, check out the MMA Junkie Event Center for the 2023 PFL 5.