Aspen Ladd enters her BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing debut with one bare-knuckle win already on her record, and it came in quick fashion. The former UFC contender meets Bianca “Diamante” Daimoni at BKB 58 on August 29 at Miami’s James L. Knight Center, adding a new stop to a combat-sports career that has included the UFC, PFL, Bellator and BKFC.

Bare Knuckle Aspen Ladd

Ladd’s BKB appearance will take place inside the promotion’s triangular ring, the Trigon, rather than the cage where she built most of her MMA résumé. Daimoni comes in with a 1-1 BKB record and a background in Muay Thai and MMA, giving Ladd a live test in her first outing under BKB rules.

Ladd’s introduction to bare-knuckle competition came at BKFC 84 in Palm Desert, California, on November 15, 2025. She faced Shyanna Bintliff in a featherweight bout and stopped her in the opening round, officially recorded as a knockout at 1:59.

The fight established the key reference point for Ladd’s move into BKB. She pressed Bintliff from the opening moments, produced early damage, and scored three knockdowns before the bout was waved off at the end of the round. The final knockdown came with one second remaining, so Bintliff had little room to recover between exchanges.

It was a short night, but it showed Ladd was comfortable setting the pace without MMA’s takedown threat or grappling exchanges. Bare-knuckle boxing places more value on distance, clean placement and managing damage to the hands, yet Ladd’s first outing followed a familiar pattern from her MMA career: move forward, make the opponent work under pressure, and look for a finish.

Bintliff has since returned to action, scoring a third-round TKO of Crystal Pittman at BKFC Fight Night Sturgis in August 2026. That result adds context to Ladd’s victory, as Bintliff was able to regroup and earn a stoppage win after the loss.

UFC Experience

Before crossing into bare knuckle, Ladd compiled a 4-3 UFC record. She debuted in October 2017 and quickly became a ranked bantamweight through wins over Lina Lansberg, Tonya Evinger, Sijara Eubanks and Yana Santos. Her UFC statistics list 3.78 significant strikes landed per minute, 1.56 takedowns per 15 minutes and a 62 percent takedown-defense rate, reflecting an MMA game with striking, clinch work and wrestling options.

Her win over Evinger at UFC 229 ended via first-round TKO, while she defeated Santos by third-round TKO in December 2019. The Eubanks fight went the full three rounds, and Ladd used three takedowns and three submission attempts in a unanimous-decision victory.

Ladd’s run also included tests against top competition. Germaine de Randamie stopped her in 16 seconds in July 2019, and Ladd later lost decisions to Norma Dumont and Raquel Pennington. The Dumont contest was a five-round featherweight main event in October 2021, while the Pennington bout took place at UFC 273 in April 2022.

After leaving the UFC, Ladd signed with the PFL and made her promotional debut in November 2022. She defeated Julia Budd by split decision at the 2022 PFL World Championship, a result that gave her a 1-0 start in the organization.

Ladd went 1-1 in the 2023 season. She lost a majority decision to Olena Kolesnyk in April, then submitted Karolina Sobek late in the second round in June to secure a playoff place. Her season ended against Kayla Harrison at the PFL Championship in November, where Harrison won a unanimous decision in a 155-pound catchweight contest.

The Daimoni matchup gives Ladd a second bare-knuckle bout and her first under the BKB banner. Daimoni trains with Chute Boxe in Brazil, has an 8-4 professional MMA record and previously fought at BYB 36 before competing at BKB 50, where she lost a decision to Jamie Driver.