Paige VanZant is admittedly not ready for a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Strawweight title, nor is she in a hurry to get there.
VanZant, 21, has already opened eyes -- and dropped jaws -- thanks to her work so far inside the Octagon, including her successful Octagon debut against Caitlin Curran, a unanimous decision win over Felice Herrig and her recent second-round submission win over Alex Chambers (watch video replay here).
But, when the time comes to answer the call for the big fight, VanZant tells MMA Junkie that she's more than certain it will be current 115-pound queen, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, whom she'll face inside the cage.
In other words, "JJ" will be in for a rather lengthy title run:
"If I look at Joanna, of course, I feel a certain way about her, because she has the belt. She has something I want. I understand why I get some of the negative feedback from some of the strawweights because I am where they'd like to be. I'm just so blessed right now. I'm not going to take any of these things personally because they don't know me personally."
She continues:
"She's a great fighter; I think she's really good. Of course, we're seeing a lot of other strawweights with a lot of talent. She's going to have top competition. But I do think that she will be the person who stays with the title until I get there."
Jedrzejczyk has been on a tear since making her Octagon debut back in 2014, winning the title at UFC 185 earlier this year and defending it against Jessica Penne just three months later by putting on a dazzling striking clinic.
Before and eventual showdown between Jedrzejczyk and VanZant takes place, the women have other foes standing in their paths.
Jedrzejczyk is set to defend her title against Valerie Letourneau at UFC 193 on Nov. 15, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia. "12 Gauge," meanwhile, will face Joanne Calderwood in the main event of UFC Fight Night 80, which is set to go down inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 10, 2015