Paige VanZant Is All-Smiles During Alaska Getaway

Paige VanZant is enjoying her time off before she goes back to work. The 26-year old MMA star [...]

By Brian Jones

Paige VanZant is enjoying her time off before she goes back to work. The 26-year old MMA star recently went to Instagram to post photos from her trip to Alaska. In two of the Instagram posts, VanZant reveals how happy she is to be in Alaska with her husband, Austin Vanderford, as well as seeing snow as Christmas gets closer.

VanZant signed a four-bout contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in August and is set to make her debut in February during Super Bowl weekend. "It was an amazing contract, an amazing opportunity," VanZant told ESPN after signing with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. "I also feel like it's not a move backwards for me. It's a lateral move to a new opportunity, a new challenge, a brand new sport. I really have sparked a brand new passion for it and especially for striking in general."

VanZant previously competed in UFC. Her last appearance was at UFC 251, losing to Amanda Ribas. Her last win in UFC came in January 2019, defeating Rachael Ostovich at UFC Fight Night. After VanZant's loss to Ribas, UFC president Dana White said she needs to give up on her UFC dream.

"When you talk all that stuff, 'I'm not being paid enough,' and you're fighting inconsistently, one time in the last year, (suffering) injuries, and then got smoked in the first round of the fight? She should definitely test free agency," White said as reported by talkSport. While White is not sure about VanZant in terms of being a UFC star, boxing coach Gabriel de Oliveira expects her to have no issues in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

"We'll have more time to work with Paige because she will only fight in November or early next year – we don't have the date set yet – but we've already seen how she moves," de Oliveira said in an interview with MMA Fighting in September. "She's not totally raw. We'll have to work, add some concepts and change a few concepts she's carrying over, but I think it's going to be a smooth transition." In her MMA career, VanZant has an 8-5 record and has lost three of her last four matches. One of her best performances was in 2016 when she knocked out Bec Rawlings in the second round.

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