Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight contender, Paige VanZant, has made the most of her time off — thanks to that pesky arm injury — by heading down to the beaches of Puerto Vallarta for a special swimsuit photo spread courtesy of Walter Chin for the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
Be sure to check out the complete gallery over at SI.com right here.
“I was unbelievably shocked that SI Swimsuit called and asked if I would be a part of their magazine,” VanZant told Xandria James. “I have constantly been having to prove to the world and UFC fans that you can be beautiful and a bad ass at the same time. Well, now it’s my moment to shine. I would love to continue modeling and show off the girly side of me that people don’t get to see when I am training for fights.”
Here’s more:
Go behind the scenes with @paigevanzant on her #SISwim 2019 shoot in Puerto Vallarta pic.twitter.com/cC4XWMN6iY
— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) May 9, 2019
VanZant, 25, isn’t the first UFC fighter to land a spot in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Former bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, was featured in a special body-paint spread back in early 2016 (see that landmark cover here).
Expect to see the No. 14-ranked VanZant (8-4) back inside the cage later this year, where she’ll look to continue her winning ways in an increasingly-crowded 125-pound division (check out the Top 15 right here).