VanZant befuddled by questions about move to Hollywood
Paige VanZant feels privileged to have opportunities outside of the Octagon, even if they come with unwelcome scrutiny.
The 22-year-old UFC strawweight will compete Saturday for the first time since December 2015. A large part of that inactivity was due to VanZant's successful appearance as a runner-up on season 22 of "Dancing with the Stars." Her performance did wonders for her mainstream profile, but it also raised questions about her dedication to MMA.
Vanzant doesn't understand why a potential career change was such a hot topic when the issue wasn't raised for other athletes on the show.
"I don't know. That's the weirdest thing for me too because I got so many questions on that," VanZant told Damon Martin of FOX Sports. "So many people were thinking that I would just move to Hollywood. I didn't see Antonio Brown all of a sudden having everybody like, 'Oh, Antonio's going to quit the NFL to become a professional dancer.' They never questioned Antonio or Von (Miller).
"I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because I look like I fit into that world better? I don't know. But I belong in the fight world."
In her last fight, VanZant was submitted by Rose Namajunas, the first loss of her UFC career. When the matchmakers asked if she'd be interested in a fight with Bec Rawlings in Vancouver on Aug. 27, VanZant jumped at the opportunity, even though it meant she had to bow out of a role in the upcoming film "Kickboxer: Retaliation."
"It can be hard because you want to say yes to absolutely everything because there are great opportunities and you don't want to pass anything up," VanZant said. "At the same time, you have to find that balance and find your priorities at the time and I think that winds down to the team that I have telling me and using their wisdom on what I need to do and what I need to focus on.
"A lot of that has been Urijah (Faber), he just helps me out with absolutely everything. I ask him before I take any roles or how that could affect my fight camp and he helps me delegate."
VanZant is currently No. 10 in the official strawweight rankings with a record of 3-1 in the UFC. Saturday will mark her fifth Octagon appearance, tied for second in the 115-pound division behind champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (six).