Paige VanZant was born in Dundee, Oregon, and raised in Sherwood, Oregon, both near Portland.
41 Facts About Paige VanZant
2.
Paige VanZant's parents owned a dance studio, and she was brought up dancing ballet, jazz, and hip hop for over 13 years.
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Paige VanZant was considered a tomboy while growing up and loved the outdoors; her hobbies included riding dirt bikes and fishing.
4.
Paige VanZant eventually changed her surname legally to VanZant because of the persistent bullying.
5.
Paige VanZant chose "VanZant" because it was one of her mother's students' last names and she liked the way it sounded.
6.
Paige VanZant faced Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs Hyatt.
7.
Paige VanZant was dominated on the feet for much of the fight and lost to Torres via a unanimous decision.
8.
In December 2013, Paige VanZant was announced as one of 11 women signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship for its newly created Strawweight division.
9.
However, on March 31,2014, Paige VanZant was turned away from the reality series because she was only 20 years old, and the minimum age to compete on it is 21 due to the presence of alcohol in the house.
10.
Paige VanZant marked her UFC debut by defeating Curran by TKO in the third round, in a fight that would win Fight of the Night honors.
11.
Some media outlets and fighters speculated that Paige VanZant only received the deal due to her physical attractiveness.
12.
Paige VanZant faced Felice Herrig on April 18,2015, in Newark, New Jersey, at UFC on Fox: Machida vs Rockhold.
13.
Paige VanZant faced Alex Chambers on September 5,2015, at UFC 191.
14.
Paige VanZant signed a new contract with UFC on September 17,2015.
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Paige VanZant was expected headline UFC Fight Night 80 on December 10,2015, against Joanne Calderwood.
16.
Paige VanZant lost the one-sided fight via submission in the fifth round.
17.
Paige VanZant won the fight via KO in the second round after landing a flying head kick and a flurry of follow-up punches.
18.
Paige VanZant lost the fight via technical submission due to a rear-naked choke in the first round.
19.
Paige VanZant ended her run in the strawweight division ranked No 12.
20.
Paige VanZant won the fight via armbar submission in the second round.
21.
Paige VanZant was briefly linked to a matchup with Poliana Botelho on April 13,2019, at UFC 236.
22.
However, just days after the pairing was leaked, Paige VanZant announced that she would not be competing on the card due to a fractured right arm.
23.
Paige VanZant is projected to be sidelined for around three months.
24.
Paige VanZant was scheduled to face Amanda Ribas on March 14,2020, at UFC Fight Night 170.
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However, Paige VanZant was forced to pull out of the fight due to fracturing her right arm again.
26.
Paige VanZant requested to reschedule the bout one month later but Ribas decided to remain at the event and Randa Markos stepped in as the replacement.
27.
Paige VanZant lost the fight via a submission in round one.
28.
Paige VanZant made her debut for the promotion on February 5,2021, against Britain Hart in the main event of BKFC: Knucklemania in Tampa, Florida.
29.
Paige VanZant was scheduled to face Charisa Sigala at BKFC 27 on August 20,2022.
30.
Paige VanZant's style includes ground-and-pound, dirty boxing, and a wide variety of clinch striking.
31.
Paige VanZant is noted for the constant pressure she applies while grappling.
32.
On September 15,2021, Paige VanZant made her first professional wrestling appearance, appearing for All Elite Wrestling on their Dynamite program with fighters from American Top Team.
33.
Paige VanZant last appeared for AEW in May of 2022.
34.
On March 8,2016, Paige VanZant was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 22 of Dancing with the Stars.
35.
On March 3,2017, Paige VanZant was announced as one of 16 celebrities taking part in a celebrity cooking competition on the Food Network TV series Chopped.
36.
Paige VanZant was featured in the "Star Power: Culinary Muscle" episode, alongside former NFL player LaMarr Woodley, female Olympic gold medalist fencer Mariel Zagunis, and former Olympic gold medalist figure skater Dorothy Hamill.
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Paige VanZant made it through the appetizer, and entree rounds to compete in the dessert round against Hamill.
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Paige VanZant then edged out Hamill in the dessert round to become the Chopped winner.
39.
Paige VanZant released her biography, Rise: Surviving the Fight of My Life on April 10,2018.
40.
Paige VanZant's father nicknamed her "12 Gauge" because of her love of shooting and hunting.
41.
In September 2018, Paige VanZant married Austin Vanderford, a professional MMA fighter and a two-time NAIA All-American and national champion wrestler.