Tonya Evinger was scheduled to face Ketlen Vieira on UFC Fight Night 137 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 22. Ketlen was forced to pull out a few days ago due to a knee injury. It's very unfortunate as if she were to win, that would launch Ketlen into the title picture. I thought the UFC might snag another Brazilian from PVRT to replace Ketlen. But John Morgan of MMA Junkie reports this morning that Tonya Evinger will now face Aspen Ladd on UFC 229 Oct. 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That may be an even tougher fight for Tonya. Of course Tonya has been around for years. She's 37 years old originally from St. Louis but she now lives in Houston. She is a former Invicta Bantamweight champion. She made her UFC debut last year as a Welterweight losing to Cris Cyborg. Tonya was supposed to fight in February but she suffered a knee injury. Finally she makes her UFC Bantamweight debut and as I said, it won't be easy. Aspen is 23 years old from El Dorado Hills, CA. Her record is 6-0 and 1-0 in the UFC. I liked her when she was in Invicta. She has plenty of poise for a kid. Aspen was supposed to fight Leslie Smith in Apr. But Aspen missed weight. Leslie was on the final fight of her contract. She was going to agree to the fight if the UFC gave her a contract extension. They decided not to do that and the fight was cancelled. Aspen has promised she won't miss weight this time. I like what I have seen from Aspen so far. A win could give her a big boost.
As much as I like Tonya Evinger, you are right about Aspen Ladd. She will be a very tough opponent for her. I could see Aspen winning this fight and going on to bigger things in the UFC. I will be rooting for Tonya but I will not be surprised if Aspen were to win this fight and win by a finish, not by a decision.
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