Ex-UFC fighter Paige VanZant announces MMA return, signing with new GFL promotion
Paige VanZant says she’s returning to MMA, and will do so in the sport’s newest promotion.
On her podcast A Kickass Love Story with her husband and fellow fighter Austin Vanderford, VanZant revealed she has signed with the GFL — the sport’s newest promotion that is spending an incredible amount of money to make a big impact.
“They are picking up anybody and everybody who has a name in this sport that’s a free agent,” VanZant said. “They offered me a contract and I said yes.”
VanZant expects to compete for the GFL in 2025, which will be her first MMA bout in nearly five years. The 30-year-old had a nine-fight run in the UFC, going 5-4. VanZant lost three of her final four octagon bouts, including stoppage losses to Michelle Waterson-Gomez and Amanda Ribas.
After becoming a free agent, VanZant signed a massive deal with BKFC, where she went 0-2 with decision losses to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich, before taking fights for Misfits Boxing and Dana White’s Power Slap promotion.
The GFL has signed fighters such as Gegard Mousasi, Frank Mir, and even Wanderlei Silva, and after talking to several fighters at American Top Team that are currently on the roster, it seemed like a perfect fit for VanZant.
“I think this is the perfect opportunity because I didn’t necessarily leave MMA,” VanZant explained. “I definitely didn’t leave MMA because I wasn’t passionate about it, but when I became a free agent outside of the UFC, the biggest offer that came in was [from BKFC]. They were the ones. They presented the best offer to me and it was exciting, and it was new, and it really sparked my interest.
“Not that I didn’t want to fight for Bellator, or, I had a few others [who offered me a deal], but for me, that’s just not where my story, where I wanted to take it. And I was like, ‘No, I want to try this bare-knuckle boxing thing,’ and I absolutely loved it. ...
“Now there’s this new MMA promotion organization that actually made me really excited to fight for them.”