It’s not often that a fighter makes new fans in a one-sided loss, but Paige VanZant is a rare commodity in mixed martial arts.
The 22-year-old strawweight is on course to become the UFC’s next pay-per-view star.
Retired boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. used an appearance on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” to widen his appeal beyond boxing fans, and it was a part of the reason why he became the biggest draw in the business. And VanZant, who was the runner-up last season on DWTS, has already received a boost from the exposure she received from the show.
“A lot of my experiences have been the same [as Mayweather’s],” said VanZant, who returns to action for the first time since starring on the dancing show when she takes on Bec Rawlings on Saturday in Vancouver in a fight that will be televised on Fox.
“Not a lot of older women know much about MMA, but they watch that show,” she explained. “I’ve gotten a lot of older generation fans who I’ve been able to share my story with. It gave me a big platform and I’m already seeing the [benefits].”
VanZant, though, is a fighter at her core. In an appearance on Fox Sports 1’s “UFC Tonight” on Wednesday, she was asked what she missed about MMA while competing on DWTS.
“I want to say the violence,” VanZant said.
She’s quickly becoming one of the UFC’s most well-known stars, and it’s not hard to envision her, with more wins and more experience, following in the footsteps of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey and becoming a prominent pay-per-view attraction.
Her fight with Rawlings on Saturday is her second bout on Fox, which provides precious mainstream exposure.
The Rawlings fight will be her first since she took a beating from Rose Namajunas in December and submitted to a rear naked choke in the fifth round of a bout that headlined a UFC Fight Pass show on Dec. 10.
It was Namajunas, an elite fighter, at her absolute best and VanZant failing to perform to expectations.
For four rounds, Namajunas battered VanZant around the cage. But as she was waiting for the fifth round to begin, VanZant stood in her corner, bouncing on her toes. The crowd began to roar when it noticed it.
It was a salute to her fighting spirit, of her refusal to back down in the face of an overwhelming onslaught.
That night, VanZant was far from the woman who delivered an unexpectedly one-sided beating to highly regarded veteran Felice Herrig on a Fox-televised card in New Jersey on April 18, 2015.
She alluded to issues before the Namajunas fight that prevented her from being at her best, but refused to discuss them.
“There were a lot of factors that go into it, but I’m not one to make excuses,” VanZant said. “You learn from a loss and move forward. You have to put it in the past and continue with your career.”
That she continued the fight with Namajunas despite the abuse she took showed that special something that not all fighters possess. Namajunas had her in numerous terrible situations throughout the fight, but VanZant kept fighting her way out of them until finally succumbing to the inescapable choke midway through the final round.
Never once when Namajunas had her in a submission attempt did VanZant consider conceding and avoiding any more punishment.
Winning was the only thing on her mind.
“I love to fight and I love to win, and so I was going to do everything I could to win,” she said. “Anything can happen. It only takes one punch to turn things around. I had to stay in there and keep competing, and if I took a beating, I took a beating. But I still had a chance to win, so I was going for it.
“I gained a lot of fans and a lot of respect for that. I would have felt a lot better if I’d won, but it feels good to know that people respect what I did.”
One topic that VanZant has had enough of, though, is her so-called feud with Rousey, the ex-women’s bantamweight champion. Something happened between them earlier this year at a Reebok event.
Miesha Tate, another ex-women’s bantamweight champion, first made it public knowledge when she discussed it on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
VanZant has said little about it other than a comment to TMZ in which she called it “shocking” and “unnecessary.” Rousey isn’t speaking to the media these days, so the extent of what happened from her side is unclear, but apparently Rousey was upset by a tweet VanZant sent congratulating Holly Holm, who defeated Rousey in November.
On Wednesday, VanZant declined to speak about whatever happened or if she’s mended fences with Rousey.
“That’s not something I’m interested in talking about,” she said. “I have no problem with Ronda and I’ve moved on. There is no problem or issues and I’m not invested in talking about it.”
She’s invested, she said, in winning fights and moving up the rankings.
She’s eager to remind fans who haven’t seen her with her arm raised in nearly a year why she’s been regarded as one of the strawweight division’s top prospects.
VanZant’s last win was an impressive submission of Alex Chambers at UFC 191 on Sept. 5.
“I love the opportunities that I’ve gotten outside of fighting, but I’m a fighter at the end of the day and that’s what I love to do,” she said. “It’s been a while, so I can’t wait to get back in there and compete.”
