There wasn’t room enough for two vivacious blondes in the UFC strawweight title picture. Something had to give in the UFC on Fox 15 main card tilt between overnight sensation Paige VanZant and Cassie Cage’s doppelganger, Felice Herrig.
No one knew what to expect when the cage door closed behind two of the strawweight division’s most recognizable faces. Aside from an infectious smile and killer dance moves, not much was known about VanZant from purely a fighting standpoint.
We saw her dust off mediocre opposition and lose a decision to top strawweight contender Tecia Torres a couple of years ago, but overall, there wasn’t much to go on to give anyone a sense of how this fight would play out. Herrig, on the other hand, is a six-year MMA veteran who was fighting when VanZant was still in high school.
But none of that mattered on Saturday night. All preconceived notions surrounding VanZant’s expedited hype were eradicated in an instant as she dominated Herrig and proved she has much more to offer fight fans than eye candy.
The 21-year-old star went the distance, outlasting Herrig in a grueling 15-minute fight. It was a clean sweep on the scorecards in her favor.
Let’s take a look at what we learned from the fight.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
We won’t beat around the bush and pretend like the UFC is suddenly shifting focus on the strawweight division, even though it might seem that way at first glance.
The UFC could have easily given the last main card spot at UFC on Fox 15 to Jim Miller, a perennial top lightweight contender. It could have also gone to the light heavyweight showdown between future contenders Ovince Saint Preux and Patrick Cummins.
Saturday night was all about introducing the marketing-friendly VanZant to the rest of the mainstream sports world. Although popular, Herrig would have likely found herself on the prelims if she weren’t standing across from VanZant.
As for the actual fight, we’ll remember VanZant’s resilience. There was a lot of pressure on her heading into this fight with all of the extra attention and Reebok sponsorship. She was aggressive from the start against a skilled veteran, proving her placement in the UFC spotlight was not by mistake.
Two of the judges scored the fight 30-26.
What We Learned About VanZant
There is obviously more than meets the eye to VanZant. With only six professional fights to her name, we have barely scratched the surface of her potential as a fighter.
Few get the opportunity to start their fighting careers at such a young age under some of the influential minds VanZant has worked with, including former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber.
She can still use seasoning in some areas, but that is to be expected in such a young fighter who is still relatively raw. The prospective talent in VanZant is real, and UFC President Dana White was spot on in realizing it.
She beat down Herrig, plain and simple.
What We Learned About Herrig
Herrig is a good fighter, but like so many others in the strawweight division, she hasn’t been able to separate herself from the rest of the herd. It’s quite unfortunate considering how well she markets herself.
UFC strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha are by far the standout talents in the women’s strawweight division. After those two, it’s a black hole of talented fighters from The Ultimate Fighter 20.
Herrig has skills in all aspects of fighting, but she isn’t particularly great at anything. Just being good won’t be enough to keep her head above water.
What’s Next for VanZant?
The UFC should probably pump the brakes on VanZant before sending her into the lion’s den with Jedrzejczyk. Gadelha, Carla Esparza, Tecia Torres and Jessica Penne may be too much for the up-and-comer as well.
VanZant could still use some more time and experience to naturally develop her skills. As a world champion, Jedrzejczyk has all of the tools to hold up her end in the cage, and she also boasts enough marketing power to bring new eyes to the strawweight division.
There shouldn’t be any urgency to rush VanZant. A bout with Aisling Daly or Angela Magana makes the most sense for her.
What’s Next for Herrig?
This isn’t a major step back for Herrig, who will remain in the infinite pool of strawweight contenders.
A rematch with TUF 20 adversary Randa Markos could create some fan-friendly drama, but all of that hardly seems necessary at this point. Drawing straws could be considered a viable method in determining Herrig’s next opponent.
Herrig needs to go back to the drawing board and do whatever is necessary to finally get over the hump.
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