UFC women’s flyweight fighter Paige VanZant is urging the UFC’s matchmakers for a fight. She says she is fully healthy and ready to return to the Octagon, and she’s pleading with UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard to get her a fight booked as soon as possible.
VanZant, who has just one more fight left on her current UFC contract, recently spoke to TMZ about her desire to get a fight booked before the end of the year.
“I have one fight left on my contract. I told the UFC a month ago, almost four weeks ago, that, ‘Hey I’m ready to fight, give me a fight.’ It’s been a month and I haven’t heard anything,” VanZant said. “So I’m trying to force their hand and get a fight because I’ve been ready this whole time. We’re just kind of waiting to hear who I’m going to be matched up against.”
VanZant hasn’t fought since a submission win over Rachael Ostovich in January of this year. She broke her arm in training which has kept her out for the last nine months, but she’s ready to return to the Octagon and has let UFC president Dana White know that.
“I texted Dana and said, ‘Hey Dana, I’m ready to fight, get me a fight in December.’ At that point I would have had 10 or 12 weeks (to train), and now I’m like, ‘Hey it’s been four weeks, I’m still ready, what’s going on?’” VanZant said. “I know they’ve had a lot of fights going on, I know they’ve had a lot of big fights, I think they had three weekends in a row. So I know they’re busy, but I dunno, this is the longest I’ve ever had to wait. Especially since I know people call me out all the time. I’ve had plenty of opponents who want to fight me, and there have even been names I’ve told the UFC yes to and they’ve called me out, so it’s like mutual on both sides. But we still haven’t head anything back.”
VanZant said she is staying ready in anticipation of getting the call to fight. In the meantime, she is playing the waiting game to find out who her next opponent is.
“It’s like a waiting game for me now. I don’t know what’s going on, honestly. I’m cleared to fight, I’ve been training full time, and I’m ready for whatever weight class they throw at me,” VanZant said.
Who would you like to see Paige VanZant fight next?