ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Aspen Ladd has one thing on her mind right now, and that’s getting past Leslie Smith.

Ladd, a UFC women’s bantamweight prospect, protected her unbeaten record this past October with a stoppage of Lina Lansberg, earning a step up in competition.

When Ladd (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) evaluated her options for her follow-up, Smith (10-7-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) emerged early as a possible name. So Ladd wasn’t surprised when the outspoken veteran was chosen as her next opponent.

“She’s a veteran,” Ladd told MMAjunkie in advance of her UFC Fight Pass-streamed prelim bout against Smith at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. “I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ There was a handful of people I was expecting, so I was a little bit prepared for it.”

Smith already has developed a reputation as bad news for UFC prospects. She outpointed newcomer Irene Aldana in December 2016, and then followed up the win with a stoppage of another first-time octagon combatant, Amanda Lemos, in a fight this past July.

Even in losses, Smith has earned praise for her grittiness, once battling through an exploded cauliflower ear before doctors called off the fight.

“Her base asset is her toughness,” Ladd said.

But as good as another win might look on her resume, Ladd isn’t the type to start calling for a title shot.

“I keep saying it – one step at a time,” Ladd said. “I don’t really think that far ahead. (I think), ‘OK, this is a great opponent, take this fight, and win this fight.’ And everything happens naturally, so we’ll see.

“Right now, the ultimate goal is to fight as much as I can and win as much as I can.”

The rest will take care of itself.

For more on UFC Fight Night 128, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.