Paige VanZant says she’s returning to MMA, and can achieve this within the sport’s latest promotion.
On her podcast A Kickass Love Story together with her husband and fellow fighter Austin Vanderford, VanZant revealed she has signed with the GFL — the game’s latest promotion that’s spending an unimaginable sum of money to make a big effect.
“They’re choosing up anyone and everyone who has a reputation on this sport that’s a free agent,” VanZant mentioned. “They provided me a contract and I mentioned sure.”
VanZant expects to compete for the GFL in 2025, which will likely be her first MMA bout in almost 5 years. The 30-year-old had a nine-fight run within the UFC, going 5-4. VanZant misplaced three of her remaining 4 octagon bouts, together with stoppage losses to Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Amanda Ribas.
After changing into a free agent, VanZant signed an enormous take care of BKFC, the place she went 0-2 with resolution losses to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich, earlier than taking fights for Misfits Boxing and Dana White’s Energy Slap promotion.
The GFL has signed fighters akin to Gegard Mousasi, Frank Mir, and even Wanderlei Silva, and after speaking to a number of fighters at American Prime Workforce which might be at present on the roster, it appeared like an ideal match for VanZant.
“I feel that is the right alternative as a result of I didn’t essentially go away MMA,” VanZant defined. “I positively didn’t go away MMA as a result of I wasn’t enthusiastic about it, however once I grew to become a free agent outdoors of the UFC, the largest provide that got here in was [from BKFC]. They had been those. They introduced the perfect provide to me and it was thrilling, and it was new, and it actually sparked my curiosity.
“Not that I didn’t wish to battle for Bellator, or, I had just a few others [who offered me a deal], however for me, that’s simply not the place my story, the place I needed to take it. And I used to be like, ‘No, I wish to do that bare-knuckle boxing factor,’ and I completely beloved it. …
“Now there’s this new MMA promotion group that really made me actually excited to battle for them.”