Paige Vanzant: MMA “Wasn’t The Plan At All”

Paige Vanzant is now a professional UFC fighter. She won her UFC debut Saturday, beating Kailin Curran (3-0) with a third-round TKO. Paige Vanzant used to be a model with no dreams of UFC success at a...
Paige Vanzant: MMA “Wasn’t The Plan At All”
Written by Lacy Langley
  • Paige Vanzant is now a professional UFC fighter.

    She won her UFC debut Saturday, beating Kailin Curran (3-0) with a third-round TKO.

    Paige Vanzant used to be a model with no dreams of UFC success at all.

    “Oh gosh, this wasn’t the plan at all, at first,” Paige Vanzant told FOXSports.com before the fight.

    “When I started training to fight, it was more out of boredom than anything. I was looking for more things to do. I started with boxing, and my coaches told me I had a lot of potential (in MMA), and that I should consider making it a career. I was like, ‘Whatever.’”

    Paige Vanzant added, “I was just 15 at the time, and I never imagined something like that. When I turned 18, they asked if I would take a fight and I said, ‘Yeah.’ I won it and all of the sudden, there was all this interest and all these opportunities. I had just one amateur fight, then my coach got a call for a pro fight for me. I thought about it and said, ‘If I’d fight anyway, I might as well get paid for it.’”

    Thank you God for being in the cage with me. Thank you Reno academy of combat and my team. We did it!!!!!

    A photo posted by Paige VanZant (@paige_vanzant) on

    Yep, I think that was a call that anyone would have made.

    Heck yes!!!!!:) all weighed in fed and ready to fight!

    A photo posted by Paige VanZant (@paige_vanzant) on

    Before much time had passed, Paige Vanzant was fighting some of the toughest women in the world in her weight class.

    “Things kind of fell into place,” Vanzant said. “I didn’t have to worry about the next fight or next thing.”

    Well, now she should really start thinking about the next thing, because Paige Vanzant’s career is looking really bright and is just now getting off the ground.

    What do you think of Paige Vanzant’s transfer into the professional world of UFC?

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