Raquel Pennington Replaces Irene Aldana, Meets Aspen Ladd at UFC 273

Raquel Pennington will step up on short notice to face Aspen Ladd at UFC 273 on April 9.

Pennington is a late replacement for Irene Aldana, who withdrew from the bantamweight clash after suffering an undisclosed injury. Eurosport Netherlands was first to report the new matchup. UFC 273 takes place at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung.

Pennington enters the matchup with Ladd on a three-bout winning streak. The former bantamweight title challenger last appeared at UFC Fight Night 199, where she submitted Macy Chiasson with a second-round guillotine choke this past December. “Rocky” has also secured decision triumphs over Pannie Kianzad and Marion Reneu during her current streak.

After nearly two years on the sidelines due to knee surgery, Ladd moved up to featherweight in her Octagon return at UFC Fight Night 195, where she dropped a five-round verdict against Norma Dumont. The former Invicta FC talent is 4-2 in the Octagon, with wins over the likes of Yana Kunitskaya, Sijara Eubanks, Lina Lansberg and Tonya Evinger.