highlight
- Former UFC star Paige VanZant faced influencer Elle Brook in a women's middleweight boxing match that ended in a draw.
- VanZant, known as “12 Gauge,” showed resilience to fight through five rounds despite being knocked down early on.
- VanZant competed in mixed martial arts (MMA) and bare-knuckle fighting before moving to professional boxing and remains popular despite her recent losses.
In a surprising turn of events, former UFC fighter Paige VanZant was defeated by influencer and current champion Elle Brook in their Misfits Boxing women's middleweight title bout at MF & DAZN: X Series 15. The bout took place Saturday night at the NRG Arena in Houston, where British model Brook sent VanZant to the canvas with a straight right late in the first round.
Despite being knocked down early on, VanZant, known as “12 Gauge,” showed tenacity and fighting experience to fight her way through five rounds. The match ended in a draw, allowing Brooke to successfully defend her championship, having previously won it in January at MF & DAZN: X Series 12, defeating former Love Island contestant AJ Bunker by third-round knockout.
VanZant was making her professional boxing debut in this bout. The former UFC fighter had previously competed in 13 mixed martial arts bouts with a record of 8 wins and 5 losses, and had also competed in two bare-knuckle boxing bouts, neither of which resulted in a win.
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VanZant's journey with the UFC began at the age of 19 when she was selected to compete in the newly created strawweight division in December 2013. VanZant made an impressive UFC debut in November 2014, defeating Kailin Curran by TKO to earn Fight of the Night honors at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson. Her popularity grew quickly, and she signed an endorsement deal with Reebok after just one UFC bout in February 2015. VanZant compiled a 3-0 record at UFC, with notable wins over Felice Herrig and Alex Chambers.
Her rise in the strawweight division led to a high-profile bout against future champion Rose Namajunas in December 2015, but she ultimately lost by submission in the fifth round. VanZant bounced back with a Performance of the Night knockout win over Bec Rawlings in August 2016, but struggled to maintain her momentum. She lost to Michelle Waterson in her final strawweight bout in December 2016 and went 1-2 at flyweight before leaving the UFC after a submission loss to Amanda Ribas at UFC 251 in July 2020.
After UFC, VanZant signed with BKFC and turned to bare-knuckle boxing, losing her only two bouts for the organization in 2021 to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich.
Despite her lack of success in mixed martial arts, VanZant has a strong social media following and a profitable subscription-based website.
