Paige VanZant Weighs in on Potential Return to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ (Exclusive)

Paige VanZant had an impressive run on Dancing with the Stars in 2016, coming in second place with her partner Mark Ballas — which leads to the question of would the MMA star and model compete in the series again if the opportunity presented itself? PopCulture.com recently caught up with VanZant who said she would jump on the opportunity to do Dancing with the Stars again.

“Oh, of course. I would do it in a second,” VanZant said to PopCulture. “I would go out there, and I would love to be on the show again. I truly did have so much fun. I created these friends and memories that I would have forever.”

VanZant lost to Nyle DiMarco, the winner of Season 22 of America’s Next Top Model. But she was able to beat the likes of Ginger Zee of Good Morning America, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown, former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie, Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller and Full House alum Jodie Sweetin. VanZant revealed that the biggest challenge for her while filming the show was the long hours, but her dancing background helped her succeed.

“Dancing with the Stars, honestly, was one of the best experiences of my life,” VanZant stated. “I had a ton of fun on there. I took second, which I’m still hoping they bring me back for a redemption season. You know what? The hardest part for me was just the camera work, being on camera 12 hours a day is definitely exhausting. I was fortunate though, my parents did own a dance studio growing up. So I did dance, growing up. I had never done ballroom before, which was brand new, especially trusting a male partner to guide me and lead me. It was a learning curve, but I had an amazing partner, Mark Ballas. And the experience could have been better.”

While VanZant, 27, waits for ABC to call her, she is staying busy with her fighting career. Last weekend, VanZant lost to Rachael Ostovich in BKFC 19. It’s the second loss for VanZant in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and has two more fights before her contract with the promotion is up. VanZant spent nearly six years in UFC and won five matches during that span. In her MMA career, VanZant has posted an 8-5 record.