Paige VanZant gets emotional revisiting how Ken Shamrock changed her life when she was a teenager

Paige VanZant was left deeply moved as she recently recounted the profound impact Ken Shamrock had on her life during her teenage years. '12 Gauge' stands as one of the foremost female figures in the MMA world.

VanZant entered the professional MMA scene in June 2012. After just three fights, she secured a contract with the UFC and made a memorable debut by impressively knocking out Kailin Curran in the third round.

During a recent episode of her A Kicka** LoveStory podcast with her husband, Austin Vanderford, VanZant emotionally reminisced about her introduction to mixed martial arts.

'12 Gauge' revealed that during that time, she lacked the ambition to pursue anything specific. However, after joining Shamrock's renowned gym, The Lion Den, it was the first UFC Hall of Famer himself who motivated her and helped cultivate her passion for the sport:

"I had no desire or aspirations to be a professional fighter, but my dad wanted me to take a class with him [Shamrock], and I was willing to try something new. I was taking the class, and it was fun. I ended up coming for a week, and then all of a sudden, it was Ken 'F**king' Shamrock."

She added:

"He watched spar me one day, and he comes up and says, 'Hey, I just wanna let you know that you have something special in you; do not give up, do not quit, because you can go really far in this.' For him to say don't give up, and I was like, okay, I won't, and motherf**ker, here we are."

Check out Paige VanZant's comments below:

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Paige VanZant set for gloved boxing debut against Elle Brooke

Paige VanZant is set to make her squared circle debut against influencer Elle Brooke for the women's middleweight title in the main event of Misfits X Series 15. The event will take place at the NRG Arena in Houston, Texas, on May 25.

'12 Gauge' has been absent from active competition for almost three years, during which time she smoothly transitioned into the realm of adult modeling on the content-sharing platform OnlyF*ns.

Following her departure from the UFC in July 2020, VanZant shifted to bare-knuckle boxing with BKFC in August of the same year. However, she encountered setbacks in both of her fights, firstly against Britain Hart in February 2021 and then against Rachael Ostovich in July of the same year.

Meanwhile, Brooke has made a notable impact in influencer boxing despite her limited experience in combat sports. She currently holds a 4-1 record since making her debut in July 2022. The 26-year-old Brit is coming off a third-round knockout victory over AJ Bunker in January.