Paige VanZant has made a big switch in her combat sports career by signing with pro wrestling promotion, AEW. The former UFC star had dabbled with bare-knuckle boxing but now she’s trying things out in the squared circle.
Paige VanZant recently appeared on the Carton & Roberts show for WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM/660 AM New York. The former UFC star spoke about her switch to AEW and talked about her future in MMA.
“I’m not done MMA fighting at all,” new AEW star VanZant said. “I think people have this idea that you have to stick with one thing, but being a mixed martial artist, and being in this sport, you can evolve and can focus on one aspect at any given time. Definitely not retired from MMA, but at this current moment, I am signed to [professional boxing and professional wrestling].”
Professional wrestling was something that Paige VanZant had thought about before but MMA was the first venture into combat sports when she was 15. The new AEW star started training so she could deal with her bullies.
“I did go through some significant bullying as a kid, I wrote a book about it,” the AEW star said. “It’s called, ‘Rise’…My dad was in high school and part of college [where] he wrestled. [He was a] huge fan of MMA and UFC, watched it on T.V. One day I was like, ‘You think it’ll be okay if I tried MMA?’, and my mom was like, ‘I don’t know’, and my dad, of course, was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’m taking you to your first class. We’re doing it together, let’s go.’
“I started fighting when I was 15…That passion got sparked in me at a young age, and just because I grew up and matured, doesn’t mean I changed who I was…I know I’ll be successful at absolutely anything. You don’t stop your dreams in fear of your looks…I’ve been asked about professional wrestling for a really long time. I kind of always knew it would be a part of my journey and part of my life, I just didn’t know when the opportunity would take off.”
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