Paige VanZant says she’s ready to make return after having cast removed
The last time Paige VanZant competed inside the UFC Octagon was in January of 2019 when she picked up a second-round submission victory over Rachael Ostovich. Following her win over Ostovich, VanZant would undergo multiple surgeries to deal with an issue with her arm that she had heading into the fight against Ostovich.
After a year of dealing with the setbacks and unexpected surgeries delaying her return, VanZant took to Instagram on Monday and announced that she was having her cast removed and she’s ready to return to action, after the COVID-19 pandemic slows down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-GBaQFnuPn/
“CAST IS OFF 100!!!! LET’S FREAKING GO!!!! Training is in full effect (in my garage with my husband) lol. First things first, let’s heal the world, after that I’m coming to fight.”
Most recently, VanZant was scheduled to face Amanda Ribas at UFC Brasilia on March 14, but had to withdraw from the fight due to another setback in her recovery. Ribas would go on to face Randa Markos instead, and she picked up an unanimous decision victory.
Following her victory over Markos, Ribas spoke to the media and said that she would still like to face PVZ once she’s ready to return to action.
Ribas is not the only fighter calling out VanZant during her time away, as Maycee Barber who last competed at UFC 246, has made it a point to take aim at VanZant in her efforts to make a fight happen. Barber suffered her first professional loss at UFC 246 when she dropped an unanimous decision to Roxanne Modafferi.
Paige VanZant is reportedly on the last fight of her contract with the UFC and although she has said in the past that she makes more money on her social media posts than with fighting, there’s no clear sign as to what’s next for her fighting career. VanZant and her husband, Bellator fighter Austin Vanderford most recently signed with First Round Management, and their new management team could lead them to new deals with their respective promotions.
