Paige VanZant, a fighter in the UFC has made a name for herself both inside and outside of the Octagon. Properly growing her brand, for financial security VanZant is now on the final fight of her UFC contract, a contract which was originally negotiated and finalized by Lorenzo Fertitta. In other words, PVZ has been with the UFC longer than current owners Ari Emanuel and Endeavor.
VanZant is going to fight out her contract. She has not been offered a new deal as of yet. Typically when an athlete the UFC wants to retain has 2 fights left on their contract they usually start negotiations, yet they haven’t made an offer to VanZant which is curious, to say the least.
Why hasn’t a new contract offer been extended yet? Could it be due to the fact that PVZ has a history of injuries that have kept her out of the octagon for extended periods of time during her tenure with the promotion?
VanZant is on the shelf recovering from a broken right arm for the second time in the last 3 years and is not medically cleared to fight, but will start back in the gym tomorrow.
PVZ has made it clear in recent interviews including one today with Ariel Helwani that she feels undervalued by the UFC.
Bringing up the fact that her fight with Michelle Waterson was a record-breaking fight as far as views on FOX and social media hits. With her ability to brand yourself outside of the octagon and be a crossover star, PVZ know she is worth more to the UFC then what they are currently paying her, and wants a raise!
PVZ appeared on ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’, and her star took off. With her talent and ability inside the octagon and the fact that she is a beautiful woman, she truly is an asset to the UFC. However, she is definitely on the lower rung of the pay scale, and she does not like that one little bit.
Citing the fact that the UFC continues to reward athletes that are disrespectful and continually in trouble for various things both in and out of fighting, something that she is not happy with, VanZant feels that athletes that are ” good people” get treated financially like they are the ones that are bad seeds, and she does not understand how that is right, or fair.
Also making note of the fact that athletes that have come over from other sports or venues like Greg Hardy formerly of the NFL & CM Punk a huge WWE superstar have walked into the octagon with nowhere near the experience she has, and are rewarded for their fan base rather than their fighting. When it comes to Greg Hardy who has had troubles in the past with domestic violence, that one sticks in her craw a little bit more than the CM Punk situation.
Being vocal hasn’t been something that VanZant hasn’t been in the past, but it seems as if the muzzle is off and PVZ is making her feelings known which hasn’t always been positive when getting ready to renegotiate with the UFC.
Paige also made mention that if she were to give up her sponsorships and just rely on her UFC money that she would be taking a substantial financial loss. Stating she makes more money sitting home posting pictures on Instagram for sponsors then she does right now when she fights inside the octagon.
Will the UFC resign VanZant? We will have to wait and see. A talented athlete with a huge fanbase would seem to be a no-brainer to get a new contract. However, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to dealing with the UFC.
Christopher James has been in the MMA industry for 15 years, Working as a ring announcer for promotions like the XFC, Island Fights, Combat Night and Fight Nights Global during his career. Chris’ love for the sport and the athletes that partake in it led him to writing and doing face to face interviews with the athletes he admired and respected. Chris isn’t conventional by any stretch of the imagination, he has his own style, and takes pride in not being a “cookie-cutter” member of the media. Unique and sometimes controversial takes are what he brings to the table, forcing folks to think a little differently about the world of MMA. He also has a love for music as he has been a dj for 25 years and his love for music gets brought to the MMA world when he gets his guests to sing on his weekly show Cage Side with Christopher James which can be seen Wednesday nights on FACEBOOK LIVE, and soon via podcast.