Paige VanZant Fought Two Rounds With A NASTY Broken Arm At UFC St, Louis, Is Up For Joining WWE

Getty Image

On Sunday night, one-time rising UFC star Paige VanZant made her first appearance in the Octagon since being submitted by Michelle Waterson (after a brutal weight cut) more than a year ago. It didn’t go very well.

VanZant faced off against Jessica Rose-Clark at UFC Fight Night 124 and lost via unanimous decision, her second loss in a row and third in her last four fights.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd56Ap6lcoI/?taken-by=paigevanzantufc

That being said, no one will EVER argue VanZant’s toughness as at one point during the fight she broke her arm using a spinning back fist against Rose-Clark. Rather than quit, like most normal people would have (wait until you see the x-ray, yikes), VanZant somehow continued to battle on for the better part of two more rounds.

PVZ in between rounds: "I broke my right arm." 😳#UFCSTL

— UFC (@ufc) January 15, 2018

Geez pvz is tough. Stuck in a triangle for what seemed like 2 min before the bell went then said she thinks her rt arm is broken…

— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) January 15, 2018

“Well… I broke my arm in the first! I was able to finish the fight but as you can see, had a hard recovering and throwing my right. I’ll be back better and stronger than ever! it’s all apart of the fight game. God had other plans for me. darn spinning back fist,” the 23-year-old VanZant, ever the optimist, tweeted from the hospital.

https://twitter.com/PaigeVanzantUFC/status/952785685827719170

And that’s the shot that broke my arm lol @missjessyjess you got a hard head girl!! Congrats tonight. Tough as nails https://t.co/khKxLO1ugB

— Paige VanZant (@paigevanzant) January 15, 2018

Spinning back fist from @PaigeVanzantUFC lands, then she gets JRC to the ground! #UFCSTL pic.twitter.com/xh50dh4W4t

— UFC (@ufc) January 15, 2018

Amazingly, some people had the third and final round actually going in VanZant’s favor. Alas, with the broken arm and all, it was not enough and she fell to 7-4 after starting her MMA career white hot at 6-1.

Despite her claim that she will be “be back better and stronger than ever,” VanZant admitted prior to the fight that Ronda Rousey isn’t the only mixed martial artist with her eyes on the WWE. VanZant too says she loves pro wrestling and told TMZ Sports, “If the knock comes onto my door, I’m taking it… when the time is right.”

Even though she won’t admit it now, the time actually might not get any better for a move to the WWE than it is right now. If she loses her next fight she might just drop into complete irrelvancy in the fight game.

Play Episode

28min

Code Reds - Breaking Down All Things Cincinnati Baseball with Mike Petraglia

Code Reds: Trags with Gordon Wittenmyer on the early-season pitching, resiliency of 2024 Reds

CINCINNATI -- Despite injuries to TJ Friedl and Matt McLain, a suspension of Noelvi Marte, a rampant flu bug and a scare to Frankie Montas, the Reds are playing near the top of the NL Central. Can they sustain it. What will it take? Can Nick Lodolo rise to role of staff ace? What does Hunter Greene need to do to take that next step, a step critical to his development in Cincinnati? Trags addresses all these questions and much more in the latest episode of Code Reds with Cincinnati Enquirer Reds veteran beat writer Gordon Wittenmyer.

Code Reds - Breaking Down All Things Cincinnati Baseball with Mike Petraglia

Code Reds Rece Hinds, Elly De La Cruz Give Reds Desperately Needed Lift

CINCINNATI -- It's been a typically up-and-down week for the 2024 Cincinnati Reds as they try to make a push before the All-Star break to get above .500 and generate momentum for a second-half playoff push. Rece Hinds has come out of nowhere to provide a spark and Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene are both headed to the All-Star Game in Texas for the first time. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com joins Trags to break it down on the latest edition of the Code Reds podcast.

Code Reds - Breaking Down All Things Cincinnati Baseball with Mike Petraglia

Code Reds How Ready Are Reds For 2025, What About Alexis Diaz?

CINCINNATI -- The Reds head into a new season on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants as Opening Day 2025 is finally here. How will Terry Francona handle the roster in his first season? How will injuries to Tyler Stephenson and Spencer Steer impact the everyday lineup in left field? How will Jose Trevino handle the catching duties until Stephenson returns? And who will start in the closer's role or will it be by committee until Alexis Diaz returns from his hamstring injury? Mark Sheldon of MLB.com joins Trags to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Code Reds - Breaking Down All Things Cincinnati Baseball with Mike Petraglia

Code Reds Looking Ahead To A Promising 2025 With Reds Pitching Coach Derek Johnson

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds have big expectations for 2025 and a big part of those expectations center around the pitching staff. Derek Johnson returns for his seventh year as pitching coach under new manager Terry Francona. What are the next steps for Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo as leaders of the staff? What will be the keys to an effective pitching staff in 2025? How does DJ view the role of Alexis Diaz and Graham Ashcraft? Johnson addresses all of those questions and more with Trags as Spring Training 2025 rapidly approaches.

Plus, based on all of the plans for 2018 she talks about in the video below, she doesn’t exactly sound like someone with the laser-focused mindset you need to become a combat sports champion.