Former UFC strawweight contender Paige VanZant is currently gearing up for a January flyweight scrap with Hawaii’s Rachael Ostovich. The bout will be part of the UFC’s first-ever card on ESPN+.

This contest will be VanZant’s second in the UFC flyweight division, where the cut is much less taxing for her.

“When I fight at 115 pounds, it’s very difficult because I have to cut quite a lot of weight,” she told MMA Weekly recently. “I walk around at about 137 pounds, so it was causing a lot of harm to my body by cutting so much weight. As a female it’s also much more dangerous cutting so much weight because of the damage it can do to the body.”

If VanZant is able to win this fight, it’ll be her first step in the direction of a flyweight title shot — something she’s definitely hoping for, though she knows she’s got some work to do first.

“I still think I have to prove myself before I get any title shot,” she said “I know the division is quite small, but I need at least two or three wins before I get there. I’d obviously love if that opportunity came sooner, but I also want to give myself the proper time to prepare for something like that. I want to earn it.”

While VanZant is currently focused on capturing gold in the UFC, she’s also interested in following in the footsteps of Ronda Rousey and jumping to the pro wrestling organization WWE in the future.

“I’m not ready to leave the UFC just yet,” she said. “I love being a professional fighter and I still have a long career ahead of me. I also think the WWE is an amazing organization and it’s a very athletic entertainment industry which would suit me.

“There’s probably huge potential for a crossover down the line and of course I’m a big fan of what they do, so it would be great to be a part of,” she added. “I got the opportunity to talk to Stephanie [McMahon] for a little bit on Tuesday which was great.”

Do you think Paige VanZant would be a good fit for WWE?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/13/2018.