Paige VanZant

Background

Paige VanZant, is an American mixed martial artist, bare knuckle boxer, professional wrestler, author, and model. She started her career in Invicta FC before becoming a flyweight division fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Her professional fighting journey began when she secured victory in her first amateur fight at the age of 18. The UFC recognized her potential and signed her at just 19 years old, where she competed in the strawweight division for four years before transitioning to the flyweight division more recently.

From a young age, VanZant displayed a tenacious fighting spirit and overcame bullying during her teenage years. She channeled her energy into mixed martial arts, where she achieved a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and became known for her aggressive grappling techniques and decisive striking to finish fights. Constantly applying pressure on her opponents, VanZant skillfully employs ground-and-pound, dirty boxing, and a diverse range of clinch striking.

Beyond the octagon, VanZant has a versatile personality. She has worked as a model for renowned brands like Nike, Reebok, and Columbia Sportswear. Additionally, she showcased her talent for dancing and appeared on the celebrity dance reality show 'Dancing with the Stars,' earning a second-place finish. In a surprising twist, she also won the celebrity cooking competition 'Chopped,' where she competed against other sports stars, highlighting her diverse skill set outside of fighting. She amassed millions of followers on her social media accounts, including 3.2 million followers on Instagram.4

Early Life

Childhood

VanZant was born on March 26, 1994, in Dundee, Oregon, and grew up in Sherwood, a town near Portland. Her parents, Racehl and Steve VanZant, were the proud owners of a dance studio, where she fully embraced the world of ballet, jazz, and hip hop dancing, dedicating over 13 years to perfecting her skills in these art forms. During her formative years, she even had the opportunity to appear in a Bissell mop commercial, showcasing her talent and versatility.

In spite of her dance background, VanZant's spirit was that of a tomboy with a profound love for the great outdoors. She found more excitement and fulfillment in engaging in outdoor activities such as riding dirt bikes, fishing, and hunting alongside her father. Her father affectionately nicknamed her '12 Gauge,' perhaps as a tribute to her strong and adventurous nature. Even at a young age, she demonstrated her passion for exploration and adventure, receiving her first ATV when she was just 8 years old.

To keep up with her adventurous spirit, VanZant didn't shy away from physical play, often engaging in boxing matches with her older brother and the boys in her neighborhood.

Education

Standing at approximately 5 feet tall, she was one of the shortest kids in school, making her a target for bullying by a group of girls who cruelly twisted her surname, "Sletten," into "Slutton”. The bullying happened a lot, so she talked to the police for help. One officer said she should learn self-defense. This unrelenting torment prompted her to legally change her surname to VanZant, as a tribute to one of her mother's students and because she liked how it sounded.

After her freshman year, her family moved to Sparks, Nevada, where she attended TMCC High School and graduated in 2012.

Martial Arts Career

MMA Fighting

Upon her family's relocation to Sparks, Paige VanZant was on the hunt for a dance studio when she stumbled upon The Lion's Den, which happened to be run by UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. Acting upon her father's advice, she took up boxing at the age of 15 and eventually transitioned to mixed martial arts.

At the age of 18, in her first amateur fight in April 2012, she scored a submission in just 50 seconds. This immediately opened up new opportunities for her, as her coach got her a call for a pro fight.

On June 30, 2012, VanZant made her professional MMA debut at UWF's Tournament of Warriors finale in Corpus Christi, Texas. She faced Jordan Nicole Gaza and emerged victorious through a split decision. Three months later, VanZant took on Amber Stautzenberger at Premier Fight Series 2 and secured another win, this time via a unanimous decision.

Continuing her MMA journey, she faced Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt on January 5, 2013. Unfortunately, VanZant was dominated on her feet for much of the fight and suffered a loss to Torres via a unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Strawweight Division

In December 2013, VanZant received an offer to join the newly established strawweight division, among ten other women. Additionally, she was chosen as a cast member for the reality television series 'The Ultimate Fighter,' but unfortunately, she lost the position due to not meeting the minimum age requirement of 21 years old.

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. However, her back injury forced the bout to be rescheduled for UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson. In her UFC debut, she defeated Curran by TKO in the third round, earning the Fight of the Night honors and increasing her popularity.

Following her impressive debut, she signed a sponsorship deal with Reebok in February 2015, leading to some controversy. Nevertheless, UFC President Dana White defended the deal, attributing it to her "it" factor and personality.

VanZant continued her success with wins over Felice Herrig on April 18, 2015, and Alex Chambers on September 5, 2015. She signed a new contract with UFC on September 17, 2015.

Her next headline bout against Joanne Calderwood at UFC Fight Night 80 on December 10, 2015, was replaced by Rose Namajunas due to Calderwood's withdrawal. Unfortunately, she lost the fight against Namajunas via submission in the fifth round.

After a break for Dancing with the Stars, VanZant returned to the cage to face Bec Rawlings on August 27, 2016, at UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit. She won the fight with a KO in the second round, earning her first Performance of the Night bonus.

In her subsequent bout on December 17, 2016, against Michelle Waterson, she suffered a loss via technical submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round. Eventually, she ended her run in the strawweight division ranked No. 12.

Flyweight Division

In August 2017, VanZant moved to the 125-pound flyweight division and was scheduled to fight Jessica Eye at UFC 216 on October 7. However, she withdrew from the bout on September 25 due to a back injury and several other ailments, including a herniated disc, sinus infection, double ear infection, pink eye, and ringworm.

Her debut in the flyweight division finally happened on January 14, 2018, against Jessica Rose-Clark at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi. Unfortunately, VanZant broke her arm in the second round while attempting a spinning backfist and lost the fight via unanimous decision.

After a year of recovery from her broken arm, VanZant returned to the octagon on January 19, 2019, facing Rachael Ostovich at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw. She won the fight by armbar submission in the second round.

VanZant was supposed to face Poliana Botelho on April 13, 2019, at UFC 236, but she had to withdraw from the card due to a fractured right arm. Despite initially planning for a July return, she later had to undergo surgery as the bone hadn't healed properly, resulting in around three months of recovery.

Her fight with Amanda Ribas, initially set for March 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 170, was postponed due to another fracture of her right arm. The fight eventually took place on July 12, 2020, at UFC 251, where VanZant lost via a submission in the first round.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

In August 2020, VanZant signed an exclusive four-bout contract with Bare Knuckle Boxing Championship, reportedly worth over $1 million.

Her debut for the promotion took place on February 5, 2021, against Britain Hart in the main event of BKFC: Knucklemania in Tampa, Florida, where she suffered a loss via unanimous decision.

On July 23, 2021, VanZant faced Rachael Ostovich, whom she had previously defeated in mixed martial arts at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw. This time, she lost the bout via unanimous decision. Following the defeat, she expressed her interest in returning to MMA competition and possibly joining Bellator MMA.

Initially scheduled to face Charisa Sigala at BKFC 27 on August 20, 2022, the fight was postponed to October 15 but was eventually canceled a week before the event.

Professional Wrestling Career

On September 15, 2021, VanZant made her first professional wrestling appearance in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on their Dynamite program alongside fighters from American Top Team. The following week on Rampage: Grand Slam, she attacked Chris Jericho.

On February 2, 2022, VanZant was introduced to Brandi Rhodes by American Top Team's Dan Lambert and attacked Rhodes at his request. However, the storyline was dropped after Brandi and Cody announced their departure from AEW. On March 4, AEW founder Tony Khan tweeted that VanZant would be signing with the promotion. She made an appearance in the audience alongside her husband on the March 9 episode of Dynamite, where she attacked Tay Conti during the main event and assisted Scorpio Sky in winning the TNT Championship. After the match, she signed her AEW contract on top of Tay's body.

On May 27, it was announced that VanZant would make her in-ring debut at Double or Nothing, teaming with Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky against Conti, Guevara, and Kazarian. Her team emerged victorious at the event. VanZant's last appearance for AEW was at Double or Nothing in May 2022.

Social Media Star

Paige VanZant's popularity on Instagram is remarkable. With over 3.2 million followers on Instagram and 653.8 thousand followers on Twitter, she has a strong online presence. People are drawn to her posts and updates, and her viral status on social media shows no signs of slowing down. She shares a variety of content, including insights into her training and personal life. One of her posts even went viral, amassing over 18 thousand likes overnight.

In addition to that, she sets Twitter ablaze with her captivating bikini photos. Paige VanZant undeniably graces social media with her stunning bikini shots, adding to her allure online.

Media Appearances

Dancing with the Stars

On March 8, 2016, it was announced that VanZant would participate in season 22 of Dancing with the Stars, partnering with professional dancer Mark Ballas. For a particular week, VanZant performed with troupe member Alan Bersten due to Ballas suffering a back injury during rehearsals. Score given by guest judge Zendaya.

Later on, as part of "America's Switch Up," VanZant danced with Sasha Farber instead of Ballas, who paired up with Ginger Zee. Guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy scored VanZant's performance. During the team-up dance, Inaba coached VanZant's team, and viewers scored the dance in her place. The average score was combined with the other judges' scores. The duo delivered impressive performances throughout the competition, reaching the finals, but ultimately securing second place. The top spot was claimed by model Nyle DiMarco and his partner Peta Murgatroyd.

Chopped

In March 2017, VanZant joined the celebrity cooking competition on the Food Network TV series, 'Chopped,' along with other sports figures like LaMarr Woodley, Mariel Zagunis, and Dorothy Hamill. Displaying her culinary skills, she emerged victorious by narrowly defeating Hamill in the dessert round.

Writings

On April 10, 2018, VanZant published her biography titled "Rise: Surviving the Fight of My Life." The book chronicles her journey to fame, covering her UFC fights, personal challenges, and experiences on Dancing with the Stars.

OnlyFans

VanZant joined OnlyFanslast September, providing a subscription option at $9.99 per month or a yearly plan for $95.50. In her Instagram announcement, she enthusiastically revealed that subscribers would have access to exclusive content, including training videos and more. Regrettably, like many other celebrities, her exclusive content has been leaked online.

OnlyFans leaks are a big issue, especially for celebrities. Her leaked pictures disappointed many fans, showing her sticking her tongue out. Some of her OnlyFans leaks even showed her taking off her clothes.

Personal Life

In late 2013, she moved to Sacramento to train with Team Alpha Male, one of the top West Coast gyms. As of 2017, she is not a full-timer there, even though she has not officially left the team. She has recently settled in her native Oregon, purchasing a home there. She openly shared that she got a breast augmentation, explaining, "I'm a girl and I always wanted my own boobs. They never came so I bought them”.

Relationships and Marriage

VanZant is presently married to Austin Vanderford, who is also an MMA and Bellator fighter. They began dating in 2017 and got engaged in January 2018. They exchanged vows and got married in September of the same year.

In the past, VanZant dated former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt in 2015, but their relationship ended within a year. Additionally, there were reports of her dating dancer Alan Bersten during her time on Dancing With The Stars.

Trivia

• VanZant was the winner of the show Chopped.

• She has a dancing background.

• VanZant made an appearance in the Professional Wrestling World.

• She is 5 feet 4 inches tall.

• VanZant is married to fellow MMA fighter, Austin Vanderford.

FAQs

How old is Paige VanZant?

She is 29 years old.

Did she have her content leaked on OnlyFans?

Yes, just like any other celebrities, her exclusive content on OnlyFans has been leaked to the public.

Where is Paige VanZant from?

Paige came from Oregon, her hometown.

Did Paige VanZant get bullied at school?

Yes, VanZant has been bullied a lot at school, which led her to learn martial arts.

Is Paige VanZant expected to fight again?

Yes, VanZant has no plans of walking away from fighting. According to reports, she is about to return to the BKFC ring sooner or later.

How much is VanZant's net worth?

As per various reports, Paige VanZant's net worth is roughly estimated to be around $5 million. The majority of her earnings come from fight purses in UFC and other promotions she has been associated with.

Why did VanZant change her surname?

In high school, she decided to change her name due to continuous bullying, which escalated after she experienced a traumatic sexual assault by some individuals in her school.