PVZ: I have two years to become youngest champ
Paige VanZant: “I still have two years to become the youngest belt holder. I’m going to take my time and really break that record.”
When Paige VanZant became the fourth UFC fighter after Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey to sign a separate deal with Reebok, many fans thought it was premature, at the least. However, PVZ beat veteran Felice Herrig, establishing that she is a genuine contender. And then Jon Jones smoked his career for the next couple of years, and that was the talk of Reebok sponsorships.
Now during an appearance on Thursday’s edition of UFC Tonight, PVZ doubled down. Jon Jones was 23 when he became the youngest UFC champion in history. VanZant, 21, aims to beat that.
“I still have two years to become the youngest belt holder,” she said, as transcribed by Dave Doyle for MMAFighting.com. “I’m going to take my time and really break that record.”
So no immediate fight is planned with UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
PVZ sole loss was to Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 4 on January 5, 2013. ‘The Tiny Tornado’ tried to goad VanZant into a rematch.
Meanwhile, fellow strawweight Tecia Torres, who handed VanZant her only career loss back in Invicta, has attempted to goad VanZant into a fight.
“If she got a title shot, I think that would be crazy,” said Torres. “I don’t think ‘Daddy Dana’ would give her a title shot, because he doesn’t want to see her die.”
However, VanZant is taking an unusual stance, and not responding in kind to Torres, as she did not to Herrig.
“I think that of course athletes are going to say these things, because they want huge draws behind fights,” said VanZant. “Ever since she said that, I got like a thousand followers, so, you know what? I had Felice say a lot of negative things going into that fight, but I’m not a negative person, and I love what I’m doing, every second of it. I don’t need those negative comments coming out of me. I just have a lot more to prove, and I think I’ll have a lot more to prove until someone younger takes my place.”
