With tears in her eyes, Paige VanZant walked into the octagon last weekend at UFC 251 with the knowledge that it might be her last fight in the promotion.
For several months, the 26-year-old fly has detailed his plans to try free agency after ending the final fight in his UFC deal. After more than a year and a half away from action due to injury, VanZant finally returned and the excitement of the moment definitely caught her.
“I just wanted to live in the moment because I didn’t know what the future holds for me,” VanZant told MMA Fighting in his first interview from UFC 251. “I didn’t know if that was my last UFC fight with me to be in The Last Fight in My contract. I don’t know if the UFC is going to sign me again.
“It’s still up in the air and we’ll see what happens if I end up going to a different promotion that I feel like it values me a little bit more. We just don’t know. It was really emotional. “
Going into the fight with highly anticipated prospect Amanda Ribas, VanZant was not expecting an easy test, but was still confident in his abilities to pull off the surprise.
An early takedown of the Brazilian finally ended with VanZant caught in one arm. He immediately tried to escape, but Ribas had no plans to lose submission and the tap came at 2:21 in the first round.
It turns out that Ribas actually attacked the arm that VanZant has injured multiple times in the past few years after initially breaking it in a fight against Jessica-Rose Clark in 2018. While VanZant admits that he is always a little more cautious with that arm, at the end of the The fight had nothing to do with his past injuries.
“I had him locked up in perfect,” said VanZant. “There was nothing else I could have done. I tried to stack it, tried to make all the leaks but she had grabbed my arm and had the glove behind her. She did it so perfectly.
“He did it the same way that a high-level black belt would present a submission. They caught me and there is absolutely no excuse. “
Before the event, VanZant told MMA Fighting that because she planned to fight her contract, the showdown with Ribas was essentially a gamble on its own before free agency. Suffering a loss of submission in the first round was obviously not the plan VanZant had in mind, but she also knows that she lost to a high-level opponent with a very bright future ahead.
“This is the exact fight the UFC wanted,” said VanZant. “They do this to people when they are in the last fight on their contract. They give them, like, the perfect style pairing. I went against someone, she is 10-1, I have almost had layoffs, calculating that for three years I have only been able to fight once because I keep getting injured.
“Obviously, he was the toughest opponent they could give me for my only fight left. I didn’t play with what the UFC wanted. Of course, he still had confidence in it. Amanda was very talented. I am very excited to see where her career is going. “
At the post-fight press conference that same night, UFC President Dana White addressed the future of VanZant after having openly spoken about issues with his pay and hopes to test the free agency market.
White said that while she liked VanZant, she “smoked” in her fight and that she should “definitely” try free agency. In response, VanZant admits that she did not see the press conference or hear exactly what White said, but she is still somewhat disappointed.
“Honestly, I didn’t actually see the quote or what it said specifically. I try not to pay too much attention, ”said VanZant. “It’s unfortunate because I feel like I have a very good relationship with Dana.
“I feel like I thought we were closest friends and that he could text me or call me. Something to have a little compassion, something to communicate with me personally, but maybe it will. We just don’t know. I’m sure it’s an awkward situation. “
The only thing VanZant has repeatedly said, even when addressing his payment concerns, is that he ultimately still loved being on the UFC roster, not to mention the platform the promotion has brought him for the past few years. six years.
“I have never spoken negatively about the UFC,” VanZant reiterated. “I’m not bitter about where I am in my career, bitter about the position the UFC has put me at all. I felt like I wanted to try free agency and that’s not because I don’t like the UFC or Dana or anyone.
“I know what my career has looked like in recent years, but I also know the talent I have fought against. The combined record of people who have beaten me is quite high. Losing to the people I’ve lost to, I still consider myself one of the best athletes in the world. I know I will be a champion. I know I will come back and keep fighting for many, many years. “
At the end of a typical UFC contract or almost any major MMA promotion, fighters will have an exclusive negotiation period where the organization has the opportunity to re-sign or match any other deals offered.
If White really wants VanZant to try free agency, then he’s happy to discover its value in the open market.
“Dana’s comments, what I hear you say, he wants me to try free agency and then I hope they let me go,” VanZant said. “If this is how they feel, then they will let me be free.”
From the day he first spoke about the wrestlers payout, VanZant understood there was going to be a pushback from his comments, whether they came from fans, wrestlers, or promotion. If he hadn’t said a word about his contract before his fight with Ribas last Saturday, VanZant knows that his loss probably wouldn’t have generated as much interest or reaction from the UFC president.
“I feel like the narrative has been taken to where I feel the media almost twists the way I say things,” VanZant explained. “‘Oh Paige curls up about pay.’ I just think I want to get paid more. No matter where you work, if you feel like you’re undervalued, there should be no shame in asking for a raise. Especially if you’ve taken your time and put Your job. I’ve been at the UFC for six years.
“Clearly, I obviously lost this fight. I made $ 46,000 this fight. I haven’t fought in 18 months. So I made $ 46,000 in 18 months being [what] People have said that he is a UFC star. I feel like there’s more out there for me. I always said that I could do whatever I wanted in life. I went to university when I was 16 years old. I worked on television. I’ve auditioned for all kinds of things, but I want to fight. At the same time, it has to be worth it. Because I’m hurting myself and hurting myself from this sport. “
Just because he plans to see what options he has available now that he’s entering free agency for the first time since he initially signed with the UFC when he was just 19, VanZant isn’t closing the door by returning to promotion. .
If the UFC comes back with an offer that makes her happy, VanZant says “it’s always an option,” but she’s also interested to see what other possibilities are available to her now.
Bellator President Scott Coker already told MMA Fighting earlier this week that he “definitely” wants to have a conversation with her about the potential of doing business together. VanZant’s husband Austin Vanderford is already competing for Bellator, where he currently has a 3-0 record.
“Honestly for me and that’s something I want to get into negotiations with, whoever I am with, I want to know that they want me to be part of their family,” VanZant said. “I want to work for them.
“I want to open a relationship where I can work, whether it’s working at the desk or reporting or doing work behind the scenes. I am also passionate about camera and television work. So I would love it if I could do more than fight for a promotion. Ultimately, I want to be part of the family. “
