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Paige VanZant did not buy into Taylor Swift's very public relationship with Travis Kelce.
The two rumoredly started spending time together in September last year. They were frequently spotted at each other's gigs, with Swift becoming one of the biggest off-field stories of the 2023 NFL season.
However, VanZant theorized that it was all a gimmick.
In November, the former UFC star said on her podcast, A KickAs* Love Story, that it was a "publicity" stunt:
"I think that the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce love story is 100 percent fake. Come for me, Swifties... It is publicity [and] huge for the NFL. Yes, the NFL is big, but Taylor Swift is huge, and now she's getting an entirely different demographic to come watch the NFL... It's a huge publicity play on both fronts."
Watch the segment below:
Unfortunately, VanZant's take was not favored by UFC Hall of Famer and former champion, Michael Bisping. In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, 'The Count' sarcastically said:
"It's not a conspiracy if anything that Paige VanZant says is true. They didn't go to the moon, the Earth is flat, I could go on all day. So Paige VanZant's talking out of her a*s, let's be honest, she's talking out of her a*s, and if anyone's trying to make a publicity stunt here, it would be Paige VanZant."
Bisping went on to debate VanZant's claims by pointing out that while Swift is "huge", NFL as a league will outlive her.
"At some point, she's gonna stop singing, the NFL will still be around. The NFL does not need Taylor Swift."
Watch Bisping's comments below from 2:25 onwards:
Megan Olivi's opinion on Taylor Swift receiving hate from NFL fans
While Taylor Swift may have brought eyeballs to the NFL, she did not gain much popularity among the league's long-time followers.
A section of the fan base did not like the spotlight she was getting for being the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's partner. The "Love Story" singer even got booed by the spectators while attending Kelce's games.
UFC presenter Megan Olivi spoke up on the matter in an interview with FanSided MMA. She said that she was not surprised at the way Swift was treated, but the purpose behind it beat her.
She said:
"I'm not surprised, unfortunately, but I don't really get it. First of all, even when they do pander to her, which she's not asking for... it's not interrupting the play... If that gets a young girl interested in the game of football... If that brings new fans to the sport and they can find a passion for it, then what is the problem?"
Catch Megan Olivi's comments below from 2:15:
