Paige VanZant, the 21-year-old rising mixed martial arts star, already has three fights under the UFC banner and will have more in the future after agreeing to a new contract with the promotion.
VanZant tweeted the news and provided a little tease for fans:
According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani on an episode of UFC Tonight (h/t Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com), VanZant had just one fight remaining on her previous contract.
With women’s mixed martial arts gaining prominence—thanks in large part to bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey—finding new fighters who can carry the torch is essential for UFC.
UFC President Dana White has been high on VanZant, telling Matt Parrino of UFC.com in February after the 115-pound fighter signed a marketing deal with Reebok that she has that extra something to be more than just an excellent competitor in the Octagon.
“Listen, people love that girl. She has a great personality—I don’t know if you saw the Instagram of her dancing out in front of her car. That’s awesome,” White said. “She has the personality. Some people have that “it factor” that you can’t teach people, and Paige has it.”
That “it factor” only matters if the results match up, which they have thus far for VanZant. She’s moved up to sixth in UFC’s official women’s strawweight rankings.
There hasn’t been official word on whom VanZant will fight next, though Randa Markos has made no secret about her desire to take on the young star, per Fox Sports’ Damon Martin. Her last bout was on Sept. 5 against Alex Chambers, which VanZant won via third-round submission.
VanZant, who competes in the strawweight division, has been a huge bright spot since arriving with the company last November, winning all three of her fights with two coming via stoppage. The Oregon native is 6-1 in her career and will only get better when she hits her physical peak.
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