UFC women’s strawweight star Paige VanZant released a self-made Reebok promotional video and was met with immediate criticism from fellow fighters.
UFC women’s strawweight star Paige VanZant is no stranger to being the center of attention, nor is she a stranger to the backlash that attention inevitably brings with it. Having headlined two shows already in her six-fight stint in the promotion, VanZant has seen a huge marketing push from the UFC, something many other fighters believe should be earned.
This morning, VanZant released a short, 40-second video clip of herself modeling Reebok’s new Black and White collection of sportswear. The content of the video starts with Paige blowing a kiss to viewers and speaking to the greatness that is Reebok sportswear. She then lifts her shirt to expose the new sportsbra and pants waistline (trimmed in black and white stripes), purring a sales pitch to everyone, including her “guy followers out there” that might have a “girl, a mother, a sister or a lady friend” that could use some Reebok. She then drops down to a white rug, and rolls around provocatively while lifting her shirt (caressing herself in the process), and blowing kisses.
Twitter user Rob Young was able to grab the video:
by popular demand pic.twitter.com/VvjIfVd6ly
— Rob Young (@polyh3dron) April 30, 2017
It didn’t take long for her fellow athletes to take notice, either.
Just call 1-800-HOT-GIRL and talk to real live girls. We can’t frickin wait to answer your call. Call now! https://t.co/HIJlbhhOCN
— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) April 30, 2017
@AngieOverkill I thought this was fake. I thought this was a fake ad. It’s not.
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) April 30, 2017
What the hell did I just watch https://t.co/nO7FSzFXhT
— Jeremy Kennedy (@JeremyKennedyWC) April 30, 2017
Wow hilarious! When does the x rated version drop https://t.co/eKF8c84ink
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) April 30, 2017
VanZant has since removed the video from her timeline, replacing it with a still image of herself, shirt lifted, showing off the gear.
Reebok Black and White collection. pic.twitter.com/7SSCN0TkhE
— Paige VanZant (@PaigeVanzantUFC) April 30, 2017