Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strawweight contender Paige VanZant has talked the talk, enough to land her a Reebok sponsorship after just one fight under the ZUFFA banner, which didn't sit well with some of the other ladies in her division.
But at UFC on FOX 15, she walked the walk.
After putting the smack down on Felice Herrig last Saturday night (April 18, 2015,) VanZant (5-1) earned her second UFC victory and drew comparisons to women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who helped convince promotion president Dana White to bring female fighters to the Octagon.
"I definitely look up to her, she paved the way for all of us female athletes," VanZant told TMZ. "I'm very thankful for her and I think she's been a great representation of women and women athletes and I hope I can follow in her footsteps."
But would they ever fight if the money and circumstances were right? "Never, ever!" VanZant insisted. "We're different weight classes, so we don't have to."
Her video chat is below.
After taming the "Lil' Bulldog" on FOX, "12 Gauge" shot up five places in the 155-pound rankings, where she now sits at No. 7. Because of the division's lack of depth, it's conceivable that one more big win could put VanZant in a strawweight title fight.
For more on her rise to MMA superstardom click here.
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