Tag: Paige VanZant

Photo: Rose Namajunas Poses Nude For Women’s Health Magazine

UFC women’s strawweight Rose Namajunas is rumored to be heading for a title shot against dominant champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at November’s UFC 217 from New York, and she’s also finding more ways to send her message and build on her star power than just fighting. For example, one day after she appeared in a courageous, […]

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UFC women’s strawweight Rose Namajunas is rumored to be heading for a title shot against dominant champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at November’s UFC 217 from New York, and she’s also finding more ways to send her message and build on her star power than just fighting.

For example, one day after she appeared in a courageous, emotional interview with longtime boyfriend and UFC veteran Pat Barry, Namajunas posted a preview of her nude appearance for Women Health’s Magazine to her Instagram account.

In the caption, Namajunas offered her mantra on life and her own message of inspiration for other women as part of the magazine’s #nakedinthreewords campaign:

“Cut,The,Shit. Be yourself, work hard, love your body and put your best self forward. What are your 3 words?”

She then elaborated on what her body has been through and how it helped to reach the pinnacle she has today:

“My naked body is… the story of my whole life,” Namajunas told Women’s Health. “There’s a lot around us that we can’t control, but my body, my mind, and my soul are pretty much the only things that I can. All the scars on my body, all the bumps and bruises, all the muscles — that is a story of everything I have done. And it’s not just my story. My ancestors who came before me gave me this vessel to sculpt and mold.”

Check out Namajunas’ appearance here:

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Paige VanZant Moving Up To Flyweight For Bout At UFC 216

The UFC continues to add star power to their upcoming UFC 216 PPV (pay-per-view) event. The promotion has announced the launch of the new women’s flyweight division. It will get rolling later this year after Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Before the season wraps up, the promotion has booked a pair of big names […]

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The UFC continues to add star power to their upcoming UFC 216 PPV (pay-per-view) event. The promotion has announced the launch of the new women’s flyweight division. It will get rolling later this year after Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Before the season wraps up, the promotion has booked a pair of big names that will reportedly move not only up but also down in weight in order to fight in the newest weight division. Strawweight fighter Paige VanZant (7-3) is set to take on bantamweight fighter Jessica Eye (11-6) at the event.

The UFC has yet to officially announce the bout. Damon Martin was the first to report the news. Multiple news outlets have since picked up the news of the bout. Both fighters are in need of a win. Eye is currently riding a four fight losing streak with her latest defeat coming from Bethe Correia by split decision at UFC 206 last September. On the flip side, VanZant is 2-2 in her last four bouts with a loss in her latest bout to Michelle Waterson by first-round submission last December.

UFC 216 is set to take place on October 7th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The preliminary card will air on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, as well as FOX Sports 1. The main card will be broadcasted on PPV. The main event for the upcoming show has yet to be officially announced. Here is the updated lineup:

Will Brooks vs. Nik Lentz

Abel Trujillo vs. Lando Vannata

Beneil Dariush vs. Evan Dunham

Thales Leites vs. Brad Tavares

Magomed Bibulatov vs. John Moraga

Marco Beltran vs. Matt Schnell

Mark Godbeer vs. Walt Harris

Jessica Eye vs. Paige VanZant

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10 Female Fighters Who Could Be The Next Ronda Rousey

It’s been almost six months since Ronda Rousey suffered her second crushing defeat in the UFC, and by all accounts we may have seen her fight for the last time in the Octagon. Now the hunt is on to find the next female superstar in the sport, and in this article we’ll be looking at […]

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It’s been almost six months since Ronda Rousey suffered her second crushing defeat in the UFC, and by all accounts we may have seen her fight for the last time in the Octagon.

Now the hunt is on to find the next female superstar in the sport, and in this article we’ll be looking at 10 women who are best placed to fill the void left by Rousey, from existing stars with the potential to take their fame to the next level, to up-and-coming prospects who have shown promising signs they could be the next big thing in WMMA.

To be clear, what we’re looking for here are not just talented fighters, but rather those who, like Rousey or indeed Gina Carano before her, also have that elusive ‘it factor’ that could enable them to gain mainstream recognition and become a major draw on pay-per-view.

Before we begin though, here’s a few honorable mentions to these talented ladies who just missed out on making the list but are worthy of recognition: Michelle Waterson, Ilima Macfarlane, Alexa Grasso, Julianna Pena, Holly Holm, Megan Anderson and Kayla Harrison.

10. Anastasia Yankova

In some circles, Anastasia Yankova is already being touted as the ‘Russian Ronda Rousey’.

The 26 year-old has gained considerable attention for her stunning looks and has over 180,000 followers on Instagram, but she has been training in martial arts since she was six and is a former Russian Muay Thai champion.

Her star potential was quickly recognized when she transitioned to MMA and with just two wins under her belt, Bellator jumped at the chance to sign Yankova in 2016.

She’s since improved to 5-0 and demonstrated that she’s more than just a striker by claiming three victories by way of submission.

There’s no doubt Yankova is a marketer’s dream and she’s already struck up sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Reebok, been featured in the Russian edition of Vogue, and speaks English fluently enough to have been interviewed by TMZ.

The caveat here is that though she remains unbeaten her performances in the cage so far suggest she’s still a work in progress, and so doubts remains as to how she’ll cope when the level of competition increases, with another rising Bellator star, Ilima Macfarlane being among those eager to derail her hype train.

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Paige VanZant Hopes To Bounce Back With A Certain Superstar’s Help

UFC women’s strawweight contender Paige VanZant is coming off of a disappointing loss to Michelle Waterson last December and it looks like she has made some changes in her training since then. Recently speaking on the topic, VanZant revealed that she has moved back to Portland, Oregon and will be training with a ‘new team’

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UFC women’s strawweight contender Paige VanZant is coming off of a disappointing loss to Michelle Waterson last December and it looks like she has made some changes in her training since then.

Recently speaking on the topic, VanZant revealed that she has moved back to Portland, Oregon and will be training with a ‘new team’ for her next fight:

“It was a really tough loss, it was really hard on me, but, actually, for the most part, I’m getting used to training with a new fight camp,” VanZant told MMA Fighting. “I moved back to Portland, Oregon, to be with family, so I guess I’m taking some time to adjust to a new fight team and a new gym for my upcoming fight.”

“I was just kind of planning it already,” VanZant said. “My whole family is from Portland, I just always had it on my mind that I wanted to be back around family, and it was just a perfect time for me to start over and train with a new camp and be around a huge support and finally have family in my life again.”

The 23-year-old VanZant has been a staple at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California for the last few years, but she now appears to be training alongside former UFC title challenger and current Bellator star Chael Sonnen:

“Me and Chael Sonnen have the same management team. I’ve been friends with Chael for a while,” VanZant said. “I knew he was in Portland and he had a really successful fight team out in Portland. I just called him and he really took me under his wing, he set me up with a great MMA gym, which is Gracie Barra with Fabiano, and he also set me up with an amazing conditioning program, Dave. Chael really took me under his wing and set me up with everything I needed.

“I definitely do (feel a better fighter). I can see myself growing. Training with Fabiano, he has some of the best jiu-jitsu I’ve ever had in my life, so I can definitely see the difference in my fight game because of him. I can already tell I’m getting a lot better. It’s really cool to be working with someone so positive and so talented like he is.”

“12 Guage” doesn’t currently have a fight set, but she did say that she would be back in the cage ‘soon’:

“I’ll be in the cage soon,” VanZant said, “I’m talking to the UFC right now about getting me back in the cage. I’m definitely looking at various offers.”

Who would you like to see VanZant take on next?

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Paige VanZant Says Return to Portland Was Always on Her Mind

Paige VanZant’s move back to Portland, Oregon was never in question. VanZant had been training with Team Alpha Male, but Urijah Faber was supportive of “12 Gauge’s” decision to go back home. Many wondered what VanZant’s next move would be after being submitted by Michelle Waterson. Speaking with MMAFighting.com, VanZant said the move back to Portland was […]

Paige VanZant’s move back to Portland, Oregon was never in question. VanZant had been training with Team Alpha Male, but Urijah Faber was supportive of “12 Gauge’s” decision to go back home. Many wondered what VanZant’s next move would be after being submitted by Michelle Waterson. Speaking with MMAFighting.com, VanZant said the move back to Portland was […]

Paige VanZant Reveals She Wasn’t The One Who Deleted Racy Instagram Video

There were some fighters and a lot of fans who poked fun at UFC women’s strawweight fighter Paige VanZant after she posted a provocative video showing off the new Reebok collection on her Instagram account. If you thought that VanZant might be bothered by the reaction to her video, she is not bothered whatsoever. If

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There were some fighters and a lot of fans who poked fun at UFC women’s strawweight fighter Paige VanZant after she posted a provocative video showing off the new Reebok collection on her Instagram account. If you thought that VanZant might be bothered by the reaction to her video, she is not bothered whatsoever. If you recall in February of 2015, VanZant signed an endorsement deal with the apparel company. She is not paying much attention to what people say of anything she posts on any of her social media accounts, and it was not different for the video.

“Actually, I haven’t seen anything that people responded, so I post things and just kinda forget about it,” VanZant told MMA Fighting. “Definitely it was funny. I never anticipated that kind of reaction, so I had no idea. My manager, my mom, somebody told me about it. But, no, I just thought it was funny.”

VanZant, who holds a 7-3 MMA record with four wins and two losses while competing under the UFC banner inside the world famous Octagon, stated that the idea for the video did not come from anyone else but her.

“I pretty much kind of do whatever I want,” she said. “It was me being funny, I thought.”

However, the video was deleted shortly after it was posted to her Instagram account. You would think that she would be the one who deleted it since it was posted on her account but VanZant guarantees she had nothing to do with it.

“No, I didn’t even delete it,” VanZant said. “Somebody else, I don’t know how. I think my mom deleted it, so it’s my mom being a mom.”

Some of the fighters who were critical of the video include Angela Hill and Lauren Murphy. Even though she has received some criticism, she also received the support from UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and former middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman.

“The thing is I like to show my interaction with Reebok a little bit of a different way than this, but it’s all about kicks,” Jedrzejczyk said during a recent media lunch in Los Angeles. “Good style, if I’m having fun. But I respect that. I like Paige VanZant. I think she’s young, talented, very good-looking girl and she became one of the most popular female fighters in the UFC, in the world.”

Weidman also posted his version of the VanZant’s Reebok video.

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