Aspen Ladd

“I was just a very shy kid that needed something to do. And I wanted to practice some kind of martial arts and I did not know what MMA was when I walked into the gym.”

“I feel like I'm getting better every fight, because I never leave the gym.”

“You handle your business and then re-evaluate after.”

“Referees have a tough job.”

“I clearly cannot make that weight at 135, at least not consistently without dying.”

“I'm going in and trying to put the opponent away, every single time. I'm trying to put on the best possible show that I can.”

“You learn a lot from wins, but you learn so much more from losses and you come back hungry.”

“You've got to find a mental separation sometimes, where you can be sad but still handle your business.”

“We all have life experiences, right? But without knowing what's happened to another person, you can't just apply, like, your triggers and what's wrong with you to them.”

“It sucks when you have opponents that don't necessarily want to engage.”

“It's an entertainment sport. You've got to be good, and you've got to promote yourself in a certain way - it is what it is.”

“You get caught up in the other person, they were this, they were that, and you lose sight of what you're good at and how you got to this point. You can't really get too caught up in the other person.”

“It was a little MMA gym in Jackson, California, and I had no idea what MMA was. But when I saw it, I was absolutely impressed, and mystified, by what they were doing. I saw someone do an arm bar, and I was like, 'Wow, that is amazing. I need to learn to do that.' And I just fell in love with it.”

“I just take every fight as they come, and that is the singular battle.”

“Putting your body through a fight camp and fight week and a weight cut is tough, and when you learn you can do that, it extends into all aspects of your life. It's very mentally fortifying, I'd say.”

“The most entertaining types of fights and most fun to be in are when you go out there and you both want it.”

“Once you get to a certain point, you know you're going to have to fight everyone sooner or later.”

“Fighting is my life, it's what I do and what I love.”

“I want to thank the Professional Fighters League for giving me the opportunity to continue my career in the PFL SmartCage.”

“I go in there and I fight another human being for a living. I do all of this work leading up to it. You realize when you look back what you can deal with and what you're capable of.”