Paige VanZant is going to do whatever the f*ck she wants and she’s not particularly concerned with anyone’s opinion on it.
After making her mark in the Octagon, the squared circle, and the boxing ring, ’12 Gauge’ will step up to the podium this Friday night as she makes her Power Slap debut at the promotion’s Power Slap 8 event inside Fontainebleau Las Vegas. There, VanZant will square off with South Africa’s Christine ‘The Edge’ Wolmarans.
The news of VanZant’s signing with Power Slap came as quite a surprise considering just last month she made her pro boxing debut against Misfits Boxing middleweight champion Elle Brooke. Speaking with members of the press during Wednesday’s UFC 303 media day, VanZant offered some insight into why she decided to sign up for the sport despite already making money hand over fist via OnlyFans and her various social media endeavors.
“I got called if I would do Power Slap, I said, ‘Absolutely,’ and that was it,” VanZant said. “Signed the contract and here I am to do Power Slap. I think it’s exciting for me because it’s like, listen, I am a gangster. Whether people want to admit it or not, I am here to slap somebody, it doesn’t matter what organization, what combat sport, I’m here to take over and have some fun.”
Paige VanZant Believes Power Slap is the ‘Ultimate Test of Toughness’
Though VanZant has not seen her hand raised in more than five years, her toughness is undeniable. Between 15 career MMA fights, two bare-knuckle bouts, and one boxing match, ’12 Gauge’ has never once been knocked out, making her a perfect candidate for Dana White’s latest pet project.
“I look back at my UFC career, my bare-knuckle boxing career, everything that I’ve done, you can’t take away how tough I am, and this is like that ultimate test of toughness,” VanZant said. “Stand there, and you’ve got to be able to have the balls to be able to get hit.
“I think the narrative for me right now perfectly falls in line with continuing to do Power Slap alongside my boxing,” she continued. “I still intend to box again at the end of the year. I’m waiting for the date on that. This fits in line with that. It’s preparation, it’s preparing to cause damage and try not to take damage, but inevitably, in Power Slap you’re gonna get hit. So, who knows? I am a woman who does whatever the f*ck I want and right now, I want to do Power Slap.”
VanZant is currently listed as a -120 favorite to defeat Wolmarans, meaning that a $120 bet on ’12 Gauge’ would net you $100, should the oddsmakers prove correct.
Watch VanZant’s full interview below:
