Aspen Ladd Joins BKB 58 Card for Miami Fight With Bianca Daimoni
Aspen Ladd is headed to bare knuckle boxing again, this time under the BKB banner. The former UFC title contender will face Brazil’s Bianca Daimoni at BKB 58 on August 29 at Miami’s James L. Knight Center.
Ladd’s first BKB appearance adds a recognizable MMA name to the promotion’s “Summer of BKB” finale in Miami. The California native previously competed in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, Invicta FC and BKFC, and once reached No. 2 in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight rankings.
Her UFC run included fights with current UFC champion Kayla Harrison, former UFC champions Raquel Pennington and Germaine de Randamie, plus a 2019 Fight of the Night bonus. Now, Ladd enters BKB’s Trigon, a triangular ring designed for bare-knuckle competition.
Aspen Ladd Heads to BKB for Miami Debut Against Bianca Daimoni
“I can’t wait to make my debut in the Trigon and put on a show for the fans in Miami,” Ladd said. “Bianca’s tough and I know she’s coming to fight, but that’s exactly what I signed up for.”
The bout is part of a card led by unbeaten BKB heavyweight champion Gustavo “The Cuban Assassin” Trujillo, who is scheduled to defend against Mark O’Neil. Olympic gold medalist and former boxing world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa is also booked to make his bare-knuckle debut against Yesner “Cuajadita” Talavera.
Daimoni enters with a 1-1 BKB record and has already experienced a championship-length fight in the Trigon. At BKB 50 in Miami on January 31, Jamie Driver retained the women’s welterweight title with a unanimous decision over Daimoni; the judges scored it 58-55, 58-55 and 57-56.
The Brazilian fighter trains at Chute Boxe in Ibiraquera and has competed in Muay Thai and MMA, where she is listed with an 8-4 professional record and a prior AFC featherweight title. She made her bare-knuckle debut at BYB 36 before returning for the Driver title challenge.
Daimoni’s route back to fighting followed a major health battle in 2020, when COVID-19 left her hospitalized and in a coma, while her mother died during that period. The Ladd matchup gives her another high-profile chance in Miami, this time against an opponent making her first BKB walk.
Ladd brings elite-level MMA experience and prior bare-knuckle exposure, while Daimoni has a recent six-round BKB title-fight outing. That contrast makes the contest a key addition to BKB 58: Ladd is looking to make an immediate impact, and Daimoni can disrupt the debut with a second win in the promotion.
