Paige ’12 Gauge’ VanZant makes her third UFC outing this weekend at UFC 191. The 21-year-old Team Alpha Male proponent certainly has an exciting future ahead of her, but UFC’s matching her up with Alex Chambers says a lot about their plans for her future.
There is no denying the marketability of the young American. Some have remarked that VanZant looks more Octagon girl than UFC fighter, but she has certainly proven her aptitude for the bright lights of the world’s flagship MMA promotion so far. Given the fact that Reebok stepped in and signed her up as an official brand athlete soon after striking up a deal with the promotion proves that the strawweight has that X-Factor that puts in her in the same category as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey so early in her fledgling career.
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It’s a commonly used cliché, but VanZant has proven that she is far more than a pretty face in her first two UFC appearances. In her ‘Fight of the Night’ winning performance against Kailin Curran, she proved that she had the fire in her belly for the sport’s biggest stage. The two young prospects tore into each other over three rounds before VanZant finished the bout in the final frame.
A lot of people felt it was a case of too much, too soon for the strawweight when she was paired off with veteran campaigner Felice Herrig back in April. However, VanZant showcased her grappling prowess on the night and completely dominated ‘Lil Bulldog’ when they squared off. Again, the grit of the young American was noted and her technical display in the grappling department only underlined her status as fighter on the ascent.
In such a new division, it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility that VanZant would be pushed into a title shot having banked two wins in the 115 lbs bracket, especially given her popularity. While a lot of people feel Conor McGregor was rushed through the rankings by the promotion after he signed on the dotted line in 2013, his skillset was far more articulated and he has already been a double weight world champion.
Despite claiming two impressive wins over Curran and Herrig, VanZant has been handed the unranked Alex Chambers as her next assignment. The Australian was ruled after one fight on The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion will be Crowned by Rose Namajunas who submitted her in the first round of their meeting on the show. Then, matched with Aisling Daly for the finale, she again succumbed to submission in the first frame of action. Chambers did eventually bank her first Octagon win against Curran, and took a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus in doing so, back in May in ‘The Land Down Under’, but her resume does seem a little bit light going into her bout with VanZant.
When the number seven ranked strawweight was asked about her 36-year-old opponent during her media scrum this week, she was adamant that Chambers was not a step down in competition for her.
“I think the people who see this as a step down don’t know a lot about women’s MMA or the strawweight division,” said VanZant. “They don’t realize how new this division is and you have to know about the rankings – the rankings aren’t accurate whatsoever. I don’t think we’ll see an accurate rankings system for another two years. A few people at the top, I can continue to see them at the top, but as for the main two or three, I don’t see them as accurate whatsoever.
“I’m not going to underestimate her in any area but I do know that her strengths are in jiu-jitsu – she has a background in karate and a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. Of course I anticipate her being strong in those areas, she has probably improved since her last fight and so have I.”
Realistically UFC know that matching her the division’s gold standard, champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, the Paige VanZant story could come to a sudden and abrupt end. In the champion’s last outing against Jessica Penne she showcased the devastation she can cause to her opponents’ faces and given VanZant’s obviously marketable image, it would be a big mistake to throw her in against the six-time Muay Thai world champion.
Giving VanZant opponents like Chambers allow the fan base to watch as she improves her technique and her popularity will only grow as she continues to add to her win column. If she continues to dispose of her counterparts a title shot will be inevitable further down the line, but it seems she doesn’t quite have to skillset at this stage to mix it at the top of the bracket. The improvements have already been witnessed though, and the TAM fighter certainly is determined to get the gold strap around her waist.
When asked about her title credentials in the lead up to the Chambers bout in an interview with UFC Tonight, it is clear that VanZant has a goal in mind. Without even batting an eyelid, ’12 Gauge’ insisted that she still has two years to become the youngest champion in the history of the UFC. The MMA world will undoubtedly watch closely as both VanZant and UFC endeavor to find out if the hype is real surrounding the American starlet.
