Former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd made her PFl debut in November 2022, securing a split-decision win against Julia Budd. Ladd started the 2023 season against the always-dangerous Olena Kolesnyk.
PFL 2 2023 Regular Season: Olena Kolesnyk vs. Aspen Ladd
Round 1
Ladd lands first to the body. Ladd is trying to move forward, but Kolesnyk is finding a home for the counter. Kolesnyk started moving forward, but Ladd went for a takedown that was denied. Ladd has Kolesnyk up against the cage. Kolesnyk finds separation and looks to start applying pressure. Ladd is up against the cage, and Kolesnyk is picking her shots smartly. Ladd is trying to find her range by throwing out some filler jabs. Ladd lands a clean overhand left. Ladd is warned by the referee to keep her hands closed. Ladd comes out of the break looking to move forward. Ladd is starting to find her range. Both fighters are missing a lot of punches. Leg kicks are being exchanged. Ladd lands another overhand right, but Kolesnyk wears it well.
Round 2
Both fighters are throwing out jabs to try and control the distance. There aren’t many punches landing early, but Kolesnyk is landing more. Ladd is starting to move forward, and Kolesnyk has thrown several leg kicks. Kolesnyk lands a solid overhand counter. Ladd shoots for a takedown, which is denied. Ladd is controlling Kolesnyk against the cage, looking to land a takedown. Ladd moved to the upper body, continuing to go for a takedown. Ladd attempts a toss, which led to her on her back. Ladd gets up quickly and starts moving forward aggressively. Kolesnyk landed another clean counter-shot. Ladd is moving forward but not landing much. Ladd shoots for a takedown and ends up against the cage. Kolesnyk breaks off and lands a shot on the way out. Kolesnyk is staying on her bike and landing more.
Round 3
Ladd comes out aggressive, and Kolesnyk continues landing cleaner punches. Kolesnyk is moving backward nonstop, which seems to be frustrating Ladd. The leg kicks landed by Kolesnyk are starting to add up. Ladd shoots for a takedown and gets Kolesnyk down. Kolesnyk gets up quickly, but Ladd is maintaining back control while standing up. Ladd lands a good knee to the face in the clinch. Ladd lands another takedown, which is somewhat accepted by Kolesnyk. Ladd landed some solid ground and pound, leading to Kolesnyk giving up her back. Ladd is opening up with vicious ground and pound. Ladd is fishing for the rear-naked choke, but Kolesnyk is staying calm. Ladd is maintaining the back control and waiting for Kolesnyk to make a mistake. One minute left. Ladd is winning this round clearly with ground and pound. Kolesnyk almost escapes, but Ladd managed to readjust. Ladd ends the fight on Kolesnyk’s back. We go to the scorecards.
Official Result: Olena Kolesnyk defeats Aspen Ladd by Majority Decision (29-28 x2 and 28-28)