Behind the pretty appearance of Paige Vanzant lies a steel character and the will to win. This blonde smiling girl is one of the brightest and most promising MMA fighters, as well as one of the most beautiful.

Paige Vanzant. Biography

Paige Michelle Sletten was born on March 26, 1994 in Dayton, Oregon. The parents of the future athlete were professional dancers who owned a choreography studio, and little Paige has been dancing since childhood, preferring hip-hop. It is known that at school the girl was attacked by classmates because of the surname, consonant with an indecent slang word for an accessible girl. Paige tried to deal with this on her own and figured that if she didn’t respond, her classmates would soon get bored. However, the teenagers began to spread rumors, which actually led to the rape, which Paige did not dare to tell her parents about. She will tell about the incident a few years later, when she becomes one of the most promising MMA fighters.

Career

The cruelty that Paige experienced in her youth did not make her heart callous and indifferent, but tempered the character of the girl. The girl changed her surname, which became the main cause of the tragedy, to Vanzant.

In 2009, the Page family moved to Sparks, Nevada, and wandering the streets of the town in search of a dance school, she accidentally saw a gym, which, as it turned out, belonged to the famous UFC veteran and coach Ken Shamrock. After some thought, she began to engage in boxing and other martial arts and in June 2012 made her debut in MMA, speaking in an amateur fight against Jordan Nicole Gaza. Paige was awarded the majority of the judges’ votes. In the autumn of the same year, the fair-haired athlete competed against Amber Stautzenberger, winning by unanimous decision of the refereeing commission.

The beginning of 2013 was somewhat overshadowed by Paige’s loss in a duel with Tisha Torres, but then the girl won several victories in a row. At the beginning of 2014, an important event took place in Paige’s life. According to her, she was unable to answer the call, and when she called back, she heard that it was Dana White himself, a great authority in the world of sports and the president of the UFC, who was offering her to sign a contract. The news threw Paige into a stupor, and for some time she could not utter a word, not believing her ears. The 20-year-old girl became one of 11 athletes who signed with the UFC in 2014.

After performing in the reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter, the girl became a full member of the UFC family, and in two years won 7 wins in 11 fights. Among the fighters she defeated were Alex Chambers, Felice Herrig and Beck Rawlings, but she lost the fights with Michelle Waterson and Rose Namajunas, and the fight with Kailyn Curran ended for Paige with a back injury.

In 2015, the girl signed an exclusive contract with Reebok, which caused a mixed reaction in the UFC. Most of the fighters believed that the leadership of the world famous company did not rely on the victories won by Page, among which there were very controversial ones, but on the attractive appearance of the girl. In addition, many believe that Paige’s style is too “dirty” and unscrupulous even for this sport.

In early 2017, Paige retired from welterweight competition, citing her lack of fitness and back injuries. In 2018, she made her debut in lightweight, meeting with Jessica Rose-Clark, whom, however, lost the fight, having received a broken arm.

Personal life

It is natural to assume that the young athlete, who has the appearance of a porcelain doll and a steel character, was not deprived of male attention. At the beginning of her career, she met with colleagues Singen Smith and Cody Garbrandt, the latter of which, judging by some of her posts on Instagram, she broke up due to the moral abuse she was subjected to in a relationship. The girl’s ill-wishers called this a manifestation of victimhood, hinting that a person who has experienced violence, in one form or another once, will subsequently become a victim of violence again.

Contrary to all predictions, in 2018 the blonde accepted the proposal and married Austin Vanderford. The videos and photos that she posts on Instagram delight fans of both athletes, and notes about their joint training and pastime clearly show that Paige has found happiness and spiritual balance.

Paige Vanzant now

In 2018, the athlete’s book became a sensation; for women who experienced violence, she was a clear example of how to survive, remain human, and win no matter what. Critics noted that in addition to the motivating factor, the undoubted advantage of the book is Paige’s lightness of style and her disarming sincerity.

After almost a year break due to a broken arm, the athlete faced Rachel Ostovich and won the fight, showing a real show and a new, more graceful style, which was probably formed by Paige’s passion for dancing.

The English-language Wikipedia article on Paige says that the girl has a blue belt in Brazilian Ji-Jitsu, but she has no exact career plans yet. In an interview, she says that she may continue her education in the future, or pursue a career in film.

Photo source: instagram athletes.