Paige VanZant is set for a return to MMA, five years after parting ways with the UFC. The former hot-prospect turned Onlyfans star, turned bare-knuckle boxer, turned professional wrestler, turned influencer boxer, turned slap fighting competitor (have we missed anything?) will begin to mix the martial arts again as she has signed with the newly formed, Global Fight League (GFL). Taking to her podcast, Paige VanZant announced that she had been offered a contract and agreed to its terms. She stated: “I think this is the perfect opportunity because I definitely didn’t leave MMA because I wasn’t passionate about it anymore.”
VanZant will join well-recognised names such as Tyron Woodley, Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis, Luke Rockhold and Frank Mir amongst a whole host of others. The GFL will be launched in April of this year.
Paige VanZant set for MMA Return
Paige VanZant debuted in the UFC back in 2014 and quickly rose to the main event scene, however, was quickly found to be very rudimentary in her skill set. She made two main event appearances, losing both, however, picked up some big wins during her time with the company.
The highlight of her UFC career was arguably her performance of the night winning knockout over Bec Rawlings when she landed a well-timed, switch kick to her Aussie competitor.
THE FLYING KICK!@PaigeVanZant returns THIS Saturday at #UFCBrooklyn on @ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/gWNUrOKxhD
— UFC (@ufc) January 15, 2019
Since leaving the UFC, Paige VanZant has never quite found her feet. She debuted in BKFC, going 0-2 with the promotion, proving that her boxing skills just weren’t up to scratch in comparison to those who take the sport seriously.
During this time, she made a brief appearance on AEW alongside fighters from American Top Team. It didn’t last long, however, with her leaving the promotion in May 2022.
She then took to the world of influencer boxing, fighting for the Misfits Promotion, taking on fellow Onlyfans influencer, Elle Brooke. The two women fought to a split draw, with Brooke dropping VanZant early on in the fight.
THE STAGE IS SET 🤩
Elle Brooke vs. Paige Paige VanZant goes down May 25, Live on DAZN 🎆 pic.twitter.com/DrdG1eex8R
— MF & DAZN X Series (@MF_DAZNXSeries) April 20, 2024
VanZant even made the brief venture into the world of competitive slapping, competing for Dana White’s Powerslap in June and October 2024. She won her first outing before drawing her second. She appeared to enjoy the competition element of it, taking to Instagram to state, “This is the life 😍. @powerslap”.
What does the Return of Paige VanZant look like?
There is a good chance that Paige VanZant will do well on her return to MMA. She’s certainly a recognisable name and face within the sport, due to her UFC push early in her career. She’s talented, however, there are questions as to how seriously she takes the sport.
The only women signed to the GFL’s flyweight division alongside VanZant as of the time of writing are Chiara Penco, Miao Ding and Karolina Owczarz.
Penco is 9-5, Ding is 18-8 and Owczarz is just 5-3. This speaks volumes as to the type of competitors that GFL has managed to sign in the flyweight division. VanZant, therefore has a good chance to shine in the division.
As she stated on her podcast, she didn’t ever fall out of love with MMA, however, she’s certainly been building other businesses during her time away from the octagon. We’ll have to wait and see how she performs when she makes the walk, however, there is potential there.
