After a lengthy lay-off Paige VanZant is ready to get back in the groove.
The number-10 ranked strawweight in the world hasn’t been seen in the octagon since taking time off following her brutal defeat to Rose Namajunas last December.
VanZant spent the last few months competing on the hit TV show Dancing with the Stars, where VanZant and partner Mark Ballas finished as runners-up.
’12 Gauge’Â was submitted by Namajunas in the fifth round last December in the only stoppage loss of her career but she confirmed her next bout during an interview on SportsCenter on Thursday.
The 22-year-old Team Alpha Male stand-out takes on Australia’s Bec Rawlings at UFC on FOX 21 on 27 August in Vancouver.
“I am so excited about this match-up. I think it’s perfect. Especially coming back into the UFC after being away with Dancing with the Stars,” VanZant said. “I love Canada… I can’t wait for this one.”
Her opponent, Rawlings, is coming off the back of two UFC victories, over Seo Hee Ham and Lisa Ellis, and she will be eager to get the big-name win that comes with defeating VanZant.
But VanZant is confident that she’s put her troubles behind her since the devastating Namajunas loss and has recovered from all her bumps and bruises.
“The few nagging injuries I had in my two previous UFC fights are completely gone, because I haven’t done the impact training, the head-on collisions,” she explained. “It actually really helped. It was great cardio and kept me in shape… I really miss MMA and the UFC.”
