Aspen Ladd returns to action as part of the Bellator roster for a featherweight fight against Ekaterina Shakalova on May 17 in Paris.
The UFC veteran last fought under the PFL banner this past November, losing a unanimous decision to Kayla Harrison in a featured bout on the season-end card. That fight came after Ladd failed to advance to the PFL playoffs, with a 1-1 record in the regular season format.
Since arriving in PFL, Ladd has posted an overall 2-2 record, which also includes a win over ex-Bellator featherweight champion Julia Budd.
PFL previously promoted a women’s lightweight tournament and women’s featherweight tournament in past seasons, however both divisions were dropped from the season-long format for 2024. Instead, women’s flyweight was added for the current season, with a group of Bellator fighters joining the PFL roster that includes champion Liz Carmouche.
Now the reverse happens for Ladd, as she moves from PFL to Bellator as part of the ongoing champions series for the card streaming on Max in May.
As for Shakalova, she makes her second Bellator appearance after falling to Dayana Silva in a split decision this past August.
Ladd vs. Shakalova is the latest addition to the growing Bellator Paris card, which is headlined by a lightweight title fight between champ Usman Nurmagomedov and Alexander Shabliy.
