According to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strawweight contender Claudia Gadelha, 125-pound phenom Paige VanZant is a dancer who moves the needle because she's pretty.
As for her actual skills as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, well ... that's a different story.
"She's selling, right? The UFC wants fighters who can sell, who bring money to the organization," Gadelha told MMA Fighting. "She's pretty, a dancer, completely different from other fighters who are way better prepared physically, right?"
The stats would suggest otherwise.
VanZant (6-1) is a perfect 3-0 under the ZUFFA banner with two finishes and gets what could be her toughest test to date in the form of strawweight contender Rose Namajunas. Their 155-pound showdown headlines next month's UFC Fight Pass card in Las Vegas (details).
As for those steroid comments?
"She has said once that she thinks fighters who are ripped used steroids, but I want to see her say that in two years, when she really becomes a professional fighter," Gadelha said. "She's just starting and she's a dancer, so she won't have muscle in her body. But, in two years, I want her to answer this question again."
Gadelha is in line to face the winner of Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau, who collide at UFC 193 this weekend in Australia, but should anything stand in the way of that fight, I wouldn't mind watching the Brazilian take on the winner of VanZant vs. Namajunas.
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