Paige Michelle VanZant (born March 26, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, VanZant was a fighter in Invicta FC before moving over to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She is currently ranked #8 in the UFC Strawweight division.

Early life

VanZant grew up in Dayton, Oregon. Her parents owned a dance studio, and she was brought up dancing ballet, jazz, and hip hop for over 13 years. As a child, she appeared in a mop commercial for Bissell. VanZant was considered a tomboy while growing up, and loved the outdoors. Her hobbies included riding dirtbikes, fishing, and hunting. In high school, VanZant was regularly bullied by a group of girls. She has noted this experience as one of the reasons she likes being a martial artist and having the ability to defend herself.She has modeled for Nike and Columbia Sportswear. Her father nicknamed her "12 gauge" because of VanZant's love of shooting and hunting.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

When VanZant's family moved to Sparks, Nevada, VanZant came across UFC veteran Ken Shamrock's gym while looking for a dance studio, where she began training in boxing and other martial arts. After winning an amateur fight at age 18, VanZant made her professional mixed martial arts debut on June 30, 2012 at UWF's Tournament of Warriors finale against Jordan Nicole Gaza in Corpus Christi, Texas. She won by a split decision.

On September 22, 2012 she faced Amber Stautzenberger at Premier Fight Series 2, and won via unanimous decision.

Invicta FC

She faced Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt. The event was held on January 5, 2013 at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. VanZant was dominated on the feet for much of the fight and lost to Torres via a unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In December 2013, VanZant was announced as one of 11 women signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for its newly created Strawweight division. It was also announced that she would compete as a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter (UFC), a television reality series, as part of a tournament to crown the inaugural strawweight champion. However, on March 31, 2014, VanZant was turned away from the reality series because she was only 20 years old, and the minimum age to compete on it is 21 due to the presence of alcohol in the house.

In August 2014, the UFC announced that VanZant would face Kailin Curran on October 4, 2014 in Halifax at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine, but VanZant suffered a back injury and the bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson. VanZant marked her UFC debut by defeating Curran by TKO in the third round, in a fight that would win Fight of the Night honors.

After defeating Kailin Curran, VanZant enjoyed an increase in popularity. In February 2015, VanZant was signed to a sponsorship deal with athletic footwear giant Reebok. This became a source of controversy due to her having only one UFC fight at the time. UFC president Dana White responded that she received the Reebok deal because of her "it" factor and personality.

VanZant faced Felice Herrig on April 18, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey at UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold. Following a competitive first round, VanZant eventually overwhelmed Herrig with her grappling, winning by unanimous decision.

She faced Alex Chambers on September 5, 2015 at UFC 191. After controlling most of the fight with aggressive strikes and grappling, she won via armbar submission in the third round.

VanZant signed a new contract with UFC on September 17, 2015.VanZant was expected to face Joanne Calderwood on December 10, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 80. However, Calderwood was pulled from the fight in October and replaced by Rose Namajunas. VanZant lost the one-sided fight via submission in the fifth round.

Fighting style

VanZant typically attacks with aggressive grappling, then seeks to finish the fight with strikes. Her style includes ground-and-pound, dirty boxing, and a wide variety of clinch striking. While standing, she will often move the fight toward the fence and utilize knees, elbows, forearms, punches, and throws.

She is noted for the constant pressure she applies while grappling. If an opponent escapes her clinch, she will usually look to close the distance again within moments. At UFC Fight Night 57, Kailin Curran struggled to establish range against VanZant. During their three-round bout, Felice Herrig was repeatedly held down by VanZant's grappling. The first fighter to defeat VanZant, Tecia Torres, largely avoided her clinch while attacking with strikes near the center of the cage.

While fighting from a distance, she typically attacks with high kicks and punches. In addition to her striking, VanZant has a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Paige VanZant at DWTS Rehearsals in Hollywood 4/1/16 x9