Paige VanZant May Return To The UFC – ‘My Heart Misses It’
Paige VanZant could make a return to the UFC following her husband Austin Vanderford’s recent debut.
VanZant was cageside to watch Austin secure a second-round stoppage win against Nikolay Veretennikov at UFC Seattle last month. It was the perfect start to his UFC career, unlike how VanZant ended her stint. She lost three of her last four bouts, which included a defeat to Amanda Ribas in her last fight. She made the decision to leave the UFC for BKFC. However, that move did not pay off. She had two fighters under the promotion, facing Britain Hart and Rachel Ostovich.
Unfortunately, she suffered losses in both, showing her fighting skills were not in the best form. She decided to sign up with AEW. After that, she joined Misfits to box Elle Brooke. VanZant secured a draw, showing she may have a future in the sport. However, the rematch never happened as she joined Power Slap.
That started with a win against Christine Wolmarans before securing a draw with Chelsea Dodson. VanZant has now signed a deal with the Global Fight League. She praised the promotion for the amount they were compensating the fighters. There were also suggestions that there could be a pension system in place to look after fighters.
VanZant’s Future
“I definitely didn’t leave MMA because I wasn’t passionate about it anymore. Now there’s this new MMA organization that actually made me really excited to fight for them. They are legit paying their athletes,” she said. “Everyone that I’ve heard that has negotiated their contracts so far is extremely excited and happy. “They’re doing a pension fund for the fighters, and I think health insurance. … You just never know when it’s over, so I wanna do everything I can to make the most money while I can, and be able to provide for my family forever,” VanZant said
This could pave the way for a UFC return in the future.
“If I’m completely honest and transparent, I was to a point where I was happy with my career and I was happy with my success in my life and everything I’ve accomplished. Of course, I wanted to continue to chase dreams, but making the walk with my husband [Austin Vanderford] again, I was like, ‘Damn, like I really miss this and I realise how special it is.’
“I signed when I was 19 years old, I’m in my UFC debut at 20. I didn’t realise what a big deal it was back then.” She continued, “I didn’t realise how special it was. And now seeing that process and leaving, like maybe I took it for granted. I know it would take a lot of work for me and a lot of dedication for me to earn my shot back into the UFC. But definitely, my heart misses it. So we could [come back], we’ll see,” VanZant said
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
