Paige VanZant Biography
Paige VanZant is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, author, and model signed to the flyweight division of the UFC. In August 2020, she signed a contract to fight exclusively in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Outside the mixed martial arts, she has appeared in the television series Dancing with the Stars and Chopped.
Born in Dundee, Oregon, VanZant grew up in Dayton, Oregon, both near Portland. In addition, her parents owned a dance studio, and she was brought up dancing ballet, jazz, and hip hop for over 13 years. As a teen, VanZant appeared in a mop commercial for Bissell. VanZant was considered a tomboy while growing up and loved the outdoors.
In high school, she was regularly bullied by a group of girls which included mocking her surname Sletten, which students changed to “Sutton”. However, she eventually changed her surname legally to VanZant due to persistent bullying. She has noted this experience as one of the reasons she likes being a martial artist and having the ability to defend herself.
Paige VanZant UFC
After moving to Sparks, Nevada with her family, she was looking for a dance studio when she came across UFC veteran Ken Shamrock’s gym. It was in this same gym that her boxing and other martial arts training began. After winning an amateur fight at age 18, she made her professional MMA debut on June 30, 2012, at IWF’s Tournament of warriors finale against Jordan Nicole Gaza. She won the fight by a split decision.
On September 22, 2012, she faced Amber Stautzenberger at Premier Fight Series 2 and won unanimously. She faced Tecia Torres at Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt. The event was held on January 5, 2013, at Memorial Hall in Kansas City. She was dominated on the feet for much of the fight and lost to Torres through a unanimous decision.
In December 2013, she was announced as one of 11 women signed by UFC for its newly created strawweight division. In addition, it was announced that she would compete as a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter, a television reality series, as part of a tournament to crown the inaugural strawweight champion.
Paige VanZant Injury | Return to UFC
However, on March 31, 2014, she turned away from the reality series because she was only 20 years old, and the minimum age to compete on it is 21 due to alcohol in the house. The UFC however announced in August 2014 that she would face Kalini Curran on October 4, 2014, in Halifax at UFC Fight Night. However, she suffered a back injury and the bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson.
She marked her UFC debut by defeating Curran by TKO in the third round, in a fight that would win Fight of the Night honors. Following her fin, she enjoyed an increase in popularity. In February 2015, she was signed to a sponsorship deal with Reebok. This became a source of controversy due to her having only one fight. Later, she faced Felice Herrig on April 18, 2015, in Newark, New Jersey, at UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold.
In August 2020, she signed a four-bout contract to fight exclusively in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. She made her debut for the promotion on February 5, 2021, against Britain Hart in the main event. However, she lost the fight via unanimous decision. Later on, she faced Rachael Ostovich and lost. Following the loss, she indicated her interest in resuming the MMA competition, speaking of her openness to joining Bellator MMA.
Paige VanZant Age
How old is VanZant? VanZant is 29 years old as of 2023. She was born Paige Michelle Sletten on March 26, 1994, in Dundee, Oregon, United States. In addition, she celebrates her birthday on March 26 every year.
Paige VanZant Height
VanZant stands at an average height of 5 feet 4 inches and weighs 57 kg equivalent to 126 lbs.
Paige VanZant Family
VanZant was born in Dundee, Oregon, and was raised in Dayton, Oregon by supportive parents. Her parents owned a dance studio and were brought up dancing. However, she has preferred not to share detailed information about her family.
Paige VanZant Husband
VanZant is married to her loving husband, Austin Vanderford. Vanderford is a professional mixed martial artist, currently signed to Bellator MMA where he competes in the Middleweight division. He is 32 years old as of 2022 and was born on March 21 1990 in the United States of America.
Paige VanZant Net Worth
VanZant has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million-$5 Million.
