Felice Herrig is well aware of the multitude of storylines that are hovering around her upcoming tilt with Paige VanZant this Saturday at UFC on Fox 15.
There is a lot of hype and anticipation attached to the women’s strawweight bout set to go down this weekend in Newark, New Jersey, and any time the promotional machine ramps up for a fight, certain topic lines are going to become blurred. Herrig has heard a plethora of angles while doing her media obligations for the fight with VanZant, with more than a few angles having no anchor in reality.
The most common of which is the beef—or lack thereof—with her 21-year-old opponent in the lead up to their showdown in New Jersey.
The Team Alpha Male fighter has garnered a swell of attention since making a successful UFC debut last November and quickly came to possess one of the fastest rising profiles in the 115-pound collective. The attention surrounding VanZant would multiply when she became the first woman outside of women’s bantamweight superstar Ronda Rousey to be signed to an individual Reebok contract.
As news of the deal spread throughout the MMA community, the criticism from fans and fighters alike came pouring in. The Ultimate Fighter Season 20 tournament was completed and a divisional champion crowned in Carla Esparza, but it was “12 Gauge” who received the nod from Reebok. Herrig also was one of the fighters leapfrogged by VanZant. While it would seem likely that particular topic would be a rough subject for the Team Curran fighter, that projection is completely off the mark.
“A lot of people have tried to stir things up for this fight and want me to have beef with Paige,” Herrig told the Bleacher Report. “I don’t have any beef with her nor do I have anything bad to say about her. This is a fight and none of that other stuff really matters. The only thing that matters is that she shows up and comes to fight. I’m going to do what I do. That’s all I’ve ever done and all I know how to do.
“I don’t believe she’s better than me anywhere. I think this is the perfect stylistic matchup for me. I’m confident I can take this fight anywhere to go. If Paige puts me in a position, I believe I’m good enough to fight out of it and make it my fight. I think I can make this fight the fight I want it to be and believe I can win anywhere. She can’t outstrike or out-grapple me, and she’s definitely not going to outwrestle me. We both have good gas tanks, but it’s one thing to have good stamina and another to face an opponent who also has good stamina but is physically strong.”
Throughout her time in mixed martial arts, Herrig has been a walking example of the benefits that come with being a tireless self-promoter. Those efforts ensured she made a living during the feast or famine roller coaster that was women’s MMA in the late 2000s and helped her hit the ground running when she signed with the UFC last year. Herrig knows what’s it is like to be on the receiving end of criticism where style over substance is concerned, as she has battled to prove there is an elite-level fighter beneath the show model exterior.
And with that in mind, Herrig isn’t about to knock VanZant‘s hustle, even though she does want to knock her out Saturday.
“Every step I take in my career and every opportunity I take advantage of, I look at as the most important thing,” Herrig said. “I live in the moment, and every fight is the most important fight of my career where it’s in The Ultimate Fighter house or on Fox. It feels great to be in the UFC because it’s the biggest promotion in MMA. I don’t put any additional pressure on myself, and to do that, I look at this next fight as just another fight.
“I made my professional MMA debut with zero MMA fights as an amateur, and to make it this far, I truly believe I’ve earned it. And that’s the best feeling. Some women—and not taking anything away from anyone because you have to take the opportunities that come your way in life—but some women are where they are in this sport right now because they got in at the right time. They didn’t really have to pay their dues and grind through all the B.S., the way a lot of us did. I have absolutely earned the right to be here, and everything I have I’ve worked for. That feels great.
“I’m not here to talk smack because that’s not my thing,” she added. “I’ve never been one to knock someone because they took an opportunity. We all take the opportunities that come our way, but at the same time, that doesn’t mean we all earned them. People are going to have great opportunities brought their way, simply because they are at the right place and time. That doesn’t mean they earned it. I prefer to earn my opportunities because I firmly believe things last longer when you work hard for them. It just means more.”
The matchup between Herrig and VanZant has been a hot topic of debate since it was announced earlier in the year, and rightfully so. From a stylistic standpoint, both fighters work behind high-paced offenses and have the ability to be dangerous in a variety of areas inside the Octagon. That said, when the bout is viewed on paper, the one glaring difference between the two strawweights is the vast difference in experience between them.
While VanZant has been competing as a professional for a little more than two years and has only five bouts on her resume, the Illinois representative has a wealth of fight experience that has crossed over multiple avenues in the combat sports realm. Herrig believes her veteran status will make all the difference at UFC on Fox 15, when she plans on taking her opponent into deeper waters than she’s ever experienced.
Once there, VanZant will have to show and prove the hype behind her is valid, and Herrig doesn’t think she has what it takes to do that. The TUF alumna is confident she’ll get the job done Saturday and thinks VanZant is truly in over her head with the matchup.
“I think the experience factor is going to be huge in this fight,” Herrig said. “I don’t think Paige necessarily knows what she’s in for, and I guess you can’t blame her. Ignorance is bliss, and I think there is a lack of knowledge about the sport at play here. I believe Paige thinks she can just show up here and be a superstar, but there’s also such a thing as everyone having their 15 minutes of fame. Again, when you haven’t really earned something, you don’t know how long it is going to last.
“I’m not saying she’s had her 15 minutes, yet. I’m saying in order for her to have lasting power, she’s going to have to get by her first big step on April 18. She still has to prove she belongs and deserves to be here. I already know I deserve to be here. I already know everything I’ve gone through. My credentials speak for themselves, and I’m here to stay.
“I don’t want to say I’m necessarily going to have to educate Paige, but this is my time,” she added. “I’m exactly where I need to be, and I’m at the spot I earned. I’m not here to let someone like Paige take that away from me. There’s just no way.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand, unless noted otherwise.
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