After taking that first slap, Paige VanZant was brimming with confidence.
The former UFC star turned BKFC brawler tackled yet another combat sport last month, stepping up to the podium in Las Vegas for her Power Slap debut. Matched up with Christine ‘The Edge’ Wolmarans, ’12 Gauge’ delivered a solid showing in her promotional debut, taking home a unanimous decision victory after buckling her opponent in the second and third rounds.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, VanZant offered some insight into the world of Power Slap and how it differs from other combat sports—aside from the obvious.
“It was weird to stand there with your hands behind your back and I just stood there praying, let me eat this,” VanZant said. “Once I took the first one, I had all the confidence in the world.
“I was nervous going into it, but it’s more like just nerves that I don’t want to get knocked out. Because you just don’t know what to expect. That’s the only real bad-case scenario that can happen. After I took the first one, I pretty much knew I was going to win.”
.@PaigeVanZant admits she was "nervous" over the possibility of getting knocked out in her Power Slap debut:
"It was weird to stand there with your hands behind your back and I just stood there praying, let me eat this."
(🎥: @DamonMartin) pic.twitter.com/BL3MAelEGq
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 4, 2024
Immediately following the match, VanZant was fully on board with the controversial sport and expressed interest in returning to the Power Slap stage in the future. She echoed a similar sentiment while speaking with Helwani, but made it clear that no conversations have taken place regarding her return.
“We haven’t had any conversations yet, but just looking back at the whole experience, I just enjoyed the whole process so much,” VanZant said. “Prior to fight night with my opponent — my opponent was so nice — we were able to talk beforehand. Just the whole process was so much more relaxed prior to an MMA fight or a boxing match. I just enjoyed the whole week. I don’t know why I wouldn’t do it again.
“I’m hoping they come and make an offer. Kind of going into it was like, ‘I only have to do this one time, a bucket list thing, I want to go do Power Slap, prove that I can,’ but then afterward it was like, ‘Shoot, that was really fun.’”
Paige VanZant Opens About Her Financial Status and Calling Combat Sports a ‘Part-Time’ Gig
Ahead of her Power Slap debut, Paige VanZant told TMZ that combat sports was essentially a “part-time job.” Asked for clarification on the comment, ‘PVZ’ noted that to her, fighting is not just a hobby, but a passion that she loves to take part in—but it’s by no means her main source of income.
“My main sources of income don’t come from fighting,” VanZant explained. “My source of income, comes from all the other things that I do, the investments that I have, our real estate portfolio, our OnlyFans of course, endorsement deals. So quote-unquote, fighting would technically be my part-time job.
“Just because it is one of my lower sources of income at this period of time, but that doesn’t mean that I’m treating it as a part-time job, where I’m only putting in minimal hours. It’s the same hours. It’s just in comparison to the other things we have going on, it’s just not as lucrative. That doesn’t mean I don’t love it, and I’m not dedicated to it.”
VanZant previously revealed that when she first launched her OnlyFans, she made more money within the first 24 hours than what she banked during her entire UFC career. Adding that into her social media endeavors which include more than three million followers on Instagram, nearly 700k on X, and almost half a million on YouTube, it becomes clear that VanZant doesn’t need to fight.
She just loves it that much and is willing to take any opportunity to compete, so long as it helps to fatten her bankroll and keep her motivated.
“There’s opportunities all over to really capitalize and make the most money you can,” VanZant said. “For me, I just love competition. So whether it be MMA, boxing, or bare-knuckle boxing, or Power Slap, I’m just going to go where business and financially it makes sense, but also it gets me excited.”
