'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It's a good thing when an athlete bets on themselves. After all, there's enough out there ready to tear us down. In the case of Paige VanZant, it's going to lead to an interesting situation.
She's a decent fighter. Is she Amanda Nunes? No, but she isn't Nicco Montano either. And let's not forget she's still only 26 years old and has missed a lot of time due to injury. It's a foregone conclusion that her loss to Amanda Ribas will in fact be her last in the UFC. At least for now.
Paige VanZant to Bellator?
With husband Austin Vanderford putting together a nice career in the Bellator Welterweight Division, that's the odds on a favorite landing spot for the new MMA free agent. They don't presently have a real women's 115-pound division. They do have a flyweight though. So if that's her new home, she might find that the grass might not be greener there.
Her goal, as is anyone's is to be champion. If she thought Weili Zhang/ Rose Namajunas/ Joanna Jedrzejczyk was a murderer's row to grab a belt, it's no different in Bellator. Their 125-pound queen right now is Ilima-Lei MacFarlane. And hot on her heels right now is Juliana Velasquez who is 10-0 and likes to throw punches in bunches and is deadly on the mat. There's also 25-year-old Colombian phenom Alejandra Lara, and Valerie Loureda. Old school gangsters Liz Carmouche and Lena Ovchynnikova call that division home as well.
Can she get wins there? Absolutely. She already has a win over Bec Rawlings for example. She can beat and hang with the lower-level fighters. It's as she gets to the mid to top tier ones she has problems with.
All those women would also love to have her name on their resumes because it would bring eyes to them with Paige's huge following. And that's something that can not be denied. Which might give her the "in" for Scott Coker to sign her. One FC, Rizin, and even Invicta have less pressure to win in their companies. They all could greatly use her social media influence. And she could rebuild from the bottom up.
Signing on with Coker, every time she or Austin are prepping for a fight, or post-fight, the questions will be about their relationship. And that's something that both have guarded fiercely. Those won't come if in those other organizations.
Would Dana White like to keep her on their roster? Sure, to a point. He himself said he really likes her. So while it may be nice to have husband and wife on a roster, it might not be the best thing for her MMA career.
