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Aspen Ladd returned to the octagon headlining a UFC Fight Night event in a featherweight matchup against Norma Dumont. In a largely underwhelming performance, Ladd was outpointed by Dumont over the course of five rounds.
Aspen Ladd's coach Jim West gave rise to some controversy with his cornerwork between rounds. West was seen scolding Ladd as she failed to win round after round.
Jim West has now issued his first statement after Aspen Ladd's unimpressive loss against Norma Dumont.
"Tonight was not our night. It’s been our night many many times at the highest level but not tonight. I blame myself. Though it may not be my fault. it’s not up for debate. I take all the blame. Yes after the first couple rounds I may have been a little harsh but i know aspen and at that time technical conversation was not in the cards being down 3 rounds. Nonetheless i own it and i am sorry @aspenladd from the bottom of my heart I will continue to be better each time," said West.
According to West, the night was simply not meant to be for the team. While it might not entirely be his fault, West chose to shoulder the entire blame.
Justifying his cornerwork, West said that it was the only way to get Ladd back in the fight after she had lost three rounds.
Watch the conversation between Aspen Ladd and Jim West below:
Aspen Ladd's ineffective takedown game
Takedowns are probably the strongest weapon in Aspen Ladd's arsenal. In her last UFC outing in 2019, Ladd dominated Yana Kunitskaya on the ground to earn a third-round TKO victory. However, Ladd's takedown attempts were rendered ineffective by Norma Dumont on Saturday night.
Dumont was confident of her takedown defense going into the headliner against Aspen Ladd. The Brazilian also revealed that she had a wrestling camp in preparation for her bout against Ladd. Norma Dumont told Sportstar in the lead up to UFC Vegas 40:
“I have had three months of wrestling practice camp here. I brought in two wrestlers and neither of them were able to actually get a takedown against me. I was able to take them down. So, whilst the takedown might be a significant strength of Aspen, it is also a really strong aspect of my defence. ”
