Aspen Ladd is making the most of her time on the sidelines.
The #3 ranked women’s bantamweight is currently recovering from an ACL injury and hired business manager Amanda England to help build her new website that launched earlier this week.
“Amanda’s been great,” Ladd told MMANews. “A lot of us don’t really focus enough on our own brand or own business. But I’m trying to keep busy and having a little extra time, I’ve been really focusing on that side of things. And it’s been great.”
Ladd’s website not only highlights’s her fight career but also focuses on her other interests including hiking. Fans can now see where Ladd hikes on a regular basis and the California native provides reviews of each route.
“I was thrilled because if I’m not fighting, I’m hiking,” Ladd explained. “And that’s a huge part of my life. Now I’m able to really turn that into part of the business. And not only that, I’m creating partnerships with some pretty big brands and businesses along those lines. So I don’t just have the fighting aspect of life, I got the hiking, the fighting, all of it kind of coming together. So for anything that I do, it’s all got to feel cohesive and come together as far as a plan. So it’s not just one or the other.”
In addition to all the hiking information, Ladd’s dogs are also well featured on the website. One of Ladd’s dogs Chevy lost a limb recently and is using a prosthetic leg as a replacement. Ladd partnered with Bionic Pets, as a way to raise awareness of prosthetic solutions for amputated animals.
“So I’m working together with bionic pets, and design and we’re are trying to create a functional working relay prosthetic,” Ladd said. “(Chevy’s) a giant guinea pig. We’re in the beginning stages right now. But it’s going well and if it continues to keep going this way, because he’s bearing weight, he’s tapping it, he’s using it, it’s gonna help a lot of dogs in the future. So he’s kind of like a big gimpy pioneer.”
In terms of Ladd’s own injury, the MMA Gold product hopes to return to the cage next spring. The Invicta FC veteran was slated to compete against Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night in June before tearing her ACL and MCL.
“The knee is going really, really good,” Ladd said. “Actually, I think I’m like three and a half months right now a little bit more. Recovery is right on track is actually a little bit ahead of schedule. But I’m doing everything that the PT says exactly down to a tee. And the second it’s strong enough and I’m good to go. I’ll be back.”
Ladd added, “I’m back into like boxing now. And I’m starting to do a little bit of speed work, things like that. But as far as full on training, like me wrestling for me, probably not till December, beginning of January. We’re probably looking (returning) Spring 2021.”
