Paige VanZant is one of the rising stars of the UFC’s straw weight division. Her beautiful appearance is only matched by her ferocity inside the Octagon.
VanZant was originally planned to be a part of the women’s straw weight season of the Ultimate Fighter, but was not old enough to participate. Instead, the UFC signed her directly and she debuted with an impressive win over Kailin Curran at November 22nd, 2014.
VanZant is one of the most popular women in the UFC and has kept her fans interested with great social media posts and moments like these:
7) Dancing on the street
6) Dancing with the Stars
VanZant recently suffered the first loss of her UFC career, losing a unanimous decision to Rose Namajunas. It hasn’t hurt her star power though as she was recently cast on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. A former cheerleader and dancer, VanZant is the betting favorite to win the season and thus far has performed well.
5) Spin Kick
VanZant is a true mixed martial artists and shows off all her skills in the Octagon including her grappling, judo, and kickboxing style.
She is currently 3-1 in the UFC after her most recent loss to Rose Namajunas in which the bout served as the main event. Vanzant battled valiantly for five rounds before succumbing to a rear-naked choke submission.
4) Fun in a hotel room
VanZant was considered a tom boy growing up and enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting with her father who gave her the nickname ’12 Gauge’.
Although she enjoyed hunting, fishing, and being outside, VanZant also modeled, including for some big brands like Nike and Columbia Sportswear. She also was a cheerleader in high school.
3) Cartwheel
VanZant said during a Periscope chat that she has actually been injured more as a cheerleader than training and fighting mixed martial arts.
Her cheerleading background and gymnastic experience has helped her in the Octagon with a strong athleticism and flexibility.
2) Weighing in
If you are a gay man or a straight woman, watching a bunch of guys in perfect shape disrobe to their underoos and flex can have a distinct appeal. If you are a gay woman or a straight man, the same is true when women’s MMA fighters weigh in.
There is for many an undeniable sexual appeal to watching someone of the sex you are attracted to stripping down and displaying themselves.
For her second UFC fight, VanZant was paired up with Felice Herrig another women fighter who has built her brand with fighting ability and marketing her sexuality. VanZant won the fight by unanimous decision.
1) Judo toss!
Nothing is sexier in a women fighter than watching her do what she does best, and that is fight in the Octagon. VanZant was a slight underdog coming into her fight with Felice Herrig, but was able to dominate her opponent with takedowns and ground control.
VanZant won a unanimous decision over Herrig and provided the crowd with some awesome moments like this perfectly executed hip toss.
