Paige VanZant is one of the best-known names in women's mixed martial arts, but for now it appears her focus is on the boxing ring.
The former UFC strawweight will make her debut under the Misfits Boxing banner on tomorrow night's historic X-Series 15 card, when she faces Elle Brook in the crossover promotion's first-ever female headliner, fighting for the Brit's 125-pound belt.
There's more boxing in VanZant's future, with the American announcing she's signed a multi-fight deal with Misfits. It's unclear who she'll face next, but a win over Brook could see several big names on the table.
Paige VanZant announces she will return to boxing after El Brook fight
The former UFC contender has been away from combat sports for almost three years, following her loss to Rachael Ostovich at BKFC in July 2021. She had bouts scheduled for the following year that were cancelled twice, and has since turned to podcasts and pro wrestling.
But now that she's signed with Misfits, she's set to spend more time in the ring, taking on controversial Tik Tok star Brooke on Saturday night. Bookmakers are predicting the bout will be a close one, but fans are hoping she'll have the upper hand over her British rival.
“Every fight that I've had, there's some new element that the media wants to make into a story,” she explained on The MMA Hour this week. “It's just another story that I go into the fight with.”
“For me, I'm not going in there fighting an influencer, I'm going in there fighting a professional boxer. This is the first of many. I'm training to go in there and knock someone out. It's no different to fighting Felice Herrig.”
Paige VanZant details intense training ahead of boxing debut
While the fight doesn't seem like too difficult for a social media star who only took up boxing two years ago, VanZant is treating it as if it's her toughest test yet in the UFC. Though she called the Herrig fight an incredibly tough one, VanZant insists she treats every fight like she's climbing that mountain again.
“When you fight someone like her, she was a Goliath to me,” VanZant continued. “She's someone I've looked up to for a long time, so I knew how talented she was and how tough the fight would be.
“I'm going to put the same energy into fighting someone like her that I would put into fighting someone like Elle. With the same dedication, the same preparation, I'm going to go out there to fight the champion and bring home her belt.”
“I've fought her a few times before, had some good matches over the last few years and she's tough, to be honest. I think that's what's most exciting about this match. I have a chance to have a match that isn't boring, just like my previous matches have been.”
“I'm going to be there with a lot of enthusiasm and she's definitely an aggressive fighter so I think it's going to be a really exciting fight. I've seen some of her fights and she doesn't flinch when she gets hit so I think she's going to put on a really good fight for Misfits.”
Paige VanZant may pursue 'traditional' boxing path after Misfits debut
Brook has long been open about her preference for a more standard path of chasing area titles before moving up a level to compete for a world-level belt, and VanZant feels she could do something similar if given enough options after her debut.
“Going into this fight, I didn't think of it as just fighting an influencer,” she insisted. “Misfits called me and said, 'We have an opponent for you, do you want to fight?' I said 'Yes.' Honestly, this is the start of my boxing career because this is my first professional boxing match.”
“Obviously, I signed a multi-fight contract and, yes, I turned 30 a few months ago. I've had a long career, but I started very young and I'm not done yet. This feels like the start of a new era for me, a day to start over, so I'm very excited.”
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