Paige VanZant has fought only twice since December 2016, thanks to a seemingly never-ending string of injuries, setbacks and commitments outside of the Octagon.
She was seemingly on the road back to full-time action in January and put on an impressive performance against Rachael Ostovich in a submission victory, only to experience the misfortune of re-breaking the same arm that was injured in her 2018 loss to Jessica-Rose Clark.
VanZant (8-4) has remained close to the fight game, thanks in large part to her husband, Austin Vanderford, whose corner she was in as he moved to 8-0 Saturday night at Bellator 225 with a TKO victory over Joseph Creer. If everything goes according to plan, though, VanZant has a clear path to getting back into the Octagon by the end of 2019.
“I’m for sure going to fight this year,” VanZant said Monday on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, where she and Vanderford appeared in studio. “Once I start sparring, I think I want to sign a fight contract and then be six weeks out.”
While her intent isn’t to rush back into action too quickly, VanZant has been anxious to return to fighting. She has been conditionally cleared for light weights and her timeline for sparring is about a month out, if everything holds to form.
VanZant’s next fight will be the last one on her UFC contract. The deal she signed dates all the way back to late 2015 and her fight against Rose Namajunas, but because of the injuries and her appearance on “Dancing With the Stars,” she believes the terms of her contract aren’t on par with the current pay scale in the UFC.
“I want a significant pay raise, to be completely honest,” VanZant said. “When I fought Michelle Waterson, we had some of the highest views on Fox. … I feel like coming off of ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ with the fan base I’ve built up, my book tour, I’ve just been extremely accomplished outside of the UFC, as well as in the UFC.”
Despite never having fought for a championship in the UFC, VanZant is one of the most recognizable faces in the sport. In addition to her appearance on Season 22 of “Dancing With the Stars” and on the cooking competition show “Chopped,” VanZant has amassed a considerable following on social media.
“The hard thing for me to put into perspective is, with endorsements, I make way more money sitting at home posting pictures on Instagram than I do fighting,” VanZant said. “With endorsement deals and everything I pull in from social media, I would actually be at a loss taking a fight and focusing [on the UFC] … by a long shot.”
VanZant is eager to get back into the Octagon, though, and while she was unclear about where her future lies once her contract is up, she spoke of her excitement about an opportunity to get healthy and do a lot more in the world of MMA, as she’s only 25 years old.
While her injuries have put her out of commission for several long stretches, VanZant sees a double silver lining to her circumstances. With fewer fights and less damage than many fighters absorb after six years under contract, she feels she has extended her shelf life. She also feels as though being around MMA and having to wait on the sideline has made her hungrier than ever.
“Having fighting taken away from me for so long has been awful,” VanZant said. “To have that last win, I felt like it was just a tease. I had my foot in the water, got to fight one time, and then to have it taken away from me again — to go from injury to injury to injury — I think it has reminded me how much I love this.”
No Newell news … but a lot of fandom
Nick Newell competed at Saturday’s Bellator event on a one-fight contract, as a local draw living 10 minutes away from the arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He choked out lightweight Corey Browning in the first round, putting on the kind of performance that can earn a guy a long-term contract.
Newell, 33, had no such news to report during his appearance on the Helwani show, however, saying he didn’t meet with Bellator president Scott Coker after the fights because he was busy with people he considers no less important: the fans.
“So many people wanted pictures with me, which was cool,” Newell said. “I always try to take pictures with fans, because if you don’t appreciate your fans, you’re not doing your job. These are people who work hard at their jobs and really bust their ass and spend their money that they could spend on anything to come see you fight. So I really appreciate that.”
This explanation led Newell into a remembrance about another guest in Helwani’s Monday lineup.
“When I was a kid, I went to a WWE house show and Bret Hart gave me his glasses off his head,” Newell said. “Always been my favorite wrestler — the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. Even when everyone was on the ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin] train and the Shawn Michaels train, I said, ‘I can’t mess with those guys, because they’re not boys with Bret Hart. I don’t like them. I’m not a fan.’
“This is when I was a kid. Hard-core Bret Hart, no matter what, versus everyone. Even when he was Team Canada, I was like, I still like him, even though I’m United States.
“I want him to know that he’s got a real fan in Nick Newell. His theme song is on the gym playlist, the only wrestler theme music on the list.”
1:02
Bret Hart reflects on when he was tackled by someone at his WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, saying he was not seriously injured in the altercation.
Bret Hart on fan interrupting WWE Hall of Fame ceremony
Hart made a habit of treating young fans like Newell well by giving them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they attended WWE events, but he experienced a very different and very scary crowd interaction during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in New York. In the midst of telling Helwani about his favorite current UFC fighters, including Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Chris Weidman, as well as some of the fondest memories of his career, Hart shared the harrowing story of a fan rushing the stage as he was being inducted into the WWE HOF as part of the massively popular Hart Foundation.
Blachowicz on Jon Jones: ‘We’ve come on his level’
1:42
Jan Blachowicz proclaims that he deserves a title shot against Jon Jones and thinks he’s the only one who can stop Jones.
Jan Blachowicz was seen viciously knocking out Luke Rockhold in July, his fifth victory in his past six fights. But going into that bout, it was not the Polish light heavyweight who had the hype behind him, it was Rockhold, the former middleweight champion who was making his debut at 205 pounds.
“A lot of people said if he beats me, he would be next for Jon Jones,” Blachowicz told Helwani. “I beat him, so it is my turn.” Some would say that potential title shot couldn’t come at a better time, with Jones coming off a pair of pedestrian performances following an extended layoff. But Blachowicz does not buy the narrative that the champ is slipping.
“He is the same, but we are just better,” Blachowicz said of himself and the other light heavy contenders. “We’ve started catching him. We’ve come on his level right now.”
De Randamie ready for a heavy hitter
Germaine de Randamie can make people forget on Dec. 14. At this point, the multiple-time world kickboxing champion is best known for her short, inglorious reign as a UFC champion. Shortly after edging Holly Holm in early 2017 to become the promotion’s first women’s featherweight champion, the Dutchwoman was stripped of her belt for refusing to defend it against Cris Cyborg because of past PED suspensions. Much criticism followed.
Now, coming off a 16-second knockout of previously undefeated Aspen Ladd in July, de Randamie will get a chance to be a champ once again when she faces two-division belt holder Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight strap at UFC 245 in December. Nunes is a heavy hitter, but that’s nothing new for de Randamie, who once knocked out a man in a boxing match.
“The Iron Lady” shares the tale with Helwani:
2:03
Germaine de Randamie reflects on the time she boxed against a man 40 pounds heavier than her in a professional match, a fight she won via knockout.