UFC women’s flyweight contender Paige VanZant recently provided an update on her upcoming free agency plans, saying she is open to all offers.
VanZant has one fight left on her current UFC contract. She was set to fight Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia last month but was forced to pull out of the fight after re-breaking her arm. Ribas ended up fighting Randa Markos and putting a beating on her but afterward called for the UFC to re-book the VanZant bout. Whoever VanZant fights next in the Octagon will be the last fight on her current deal, and then she will become a free agent.
When VanZant does hit free agency, it’s assumed that the UFC, Bellator, ONE Championship and other organizations will give her an offer. For VanZant, she’s open to moving to another organization. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, VanZant updated on her goals for this period of free agency.
“There’s a lot of amazing organizations out there. If there wasn’t, I would never be testing free agency,” she said. “I do honestly have a really good relationship with the UFC. I appreciate everything they’ve done for me. The hard thing is, other than my compensation, I am very happy with the UFC. So it’s not going to be as crazy as a negotiation process as a lot of people think. There’s a lot to talk about, but I think it’s going to be a fairly easy conversation.”
For VanZant, it all comes down to who makes the best offer, and that includes other factors besides just the money. She is already looking towards the next part of her life, and that could include Hollywood.
“Change is very hard, but I’m looking for the best opportunity for my future and I don’t know what that is. I think it’s going to take negotiations with the UFC and negotiations with other organizations to know who’s going to offer me a brighter future. It might come down to other factors outside just a dollar figure. It’s really about who’s going to propel me to the best of their ability,” VanZant said.
“There could be a few factors behind that. I do well in fighting. I do well in Hollywood. I do well in all kinds of ventures that come my way. A lot of it will be about who’s going to open those doors for me.”
Where do you think Paige VanZant will end up going next?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 4/3/2020.