Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strawweight phenom Paige VanZant will make her mixed martial arts (MMA) return against Bec Rawlings at the upcoming UFC on FOX 21 event, locked and loaded for Aug. 21, 2016 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
From her appearance on SportsCenter (via MMA Fighting):
“I am so excited about this match-up. I think it’s perfect. Especially coming back into the UFC after being away with ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ I love Canada… I can’t wait for this one. The few nagging injuries I had in my two previous UFC fights are completely gone, because I haven’t done the impact training, the head-on collisions. It actually really helped. It was great cardio and kept me in shape… I really miss MMA and the UFC.”
For more on her Dancing with the Stars appearance click here.
VanZant (6-2) was riding a four-fight win streak and found herself making serious progress in the 115-pound division. That’s until she ran headfirst into a rejuvenated Rose Namajunas, who unloaded “12 Gauge” at UFC Fight Night 80 last December.
Rawlings (7-4), meanwhile, failed to make an impact during her stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 20, but rebounded with a pair of decision wins over Lisa Ellis (UFC Fight Night 65) and Seo Hee Ham (UFC Fight Night 85). “Rowdy” has five finishes in seven wins.
Predictions?
Also doing work at UFC on FOX 21 is Anthony Pettis, as he makes his featherweight debut opposite grappling whiz kid Charles Oliveira. Elsewhere on the card, featuring “Prelims” on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass, Alessio Di Chirico collides with Garreth McLellan in middleweight action.