Paige VanZant has announced that she will be making her MMA return with the newest major promotion in the sport, the Global Fight League.
The former UFC fighter hasn't competed in MMA since she departed the Octagon nearly five years ago.
Since then, VanZant has continued to be active in the public eye whether she has been competing in boxing (both with and without gloves), Power Slap or professional wrestling.
In a recent episode of her podcast, the 30-year old spoke about the news and explained why she feels like this is the right move to make at this stage.
“They are picking up anybody and everybody who has a name in this sport who is a free agent,” VanZant said on “Paige and Austin: A Kickass Love Story.” “… So, they offered me a contract, and I said yes. Going back to MMA. I think this is the perfect opportunity because I didn’t necessarily leave MMA.
“I definitely didn’t leave MMA because I wasn’t passionate about it anymore, but leaving when I became a free agent outside of the UFC, the biggest offer that came in was bareknuckle boxing. They were the ones, they presented the best offer to me and it was exciting, it was new. It definitely sparked my interest.”
The GFL has recently announced a huge roster with lots of familiar names and faces, many of which have previously competed in the UFC.
This massive roster will be used for a draft in January where fighters will be picked up by teams before the season-style format is expected to start in April.
Not every fighter is guaranteed to be fighting for the promotion once the draft is completed, meaning that VanZant is currently just draft eligible having already agreed contract terms with the GFL.
“Now, there is this new MMA organization that made me really excited to fight for them,” VanZant said. “Like, the way they’re doing it, they’re legit paying their athletes. Everybody I’ve heard that has negotiated their contract so far is extremely excited and happy. I also saw that, which I don’t know the logistics behind the scenes, but they’re doing like a pension fund for the fighters, and I think health insurance.”
Watch the full podcast below:
