'%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)
What's the story?
After Ronda Rousey shocked the world by jumping ship from the UFC to WWE, another huge name has spoken of the possibility of her swapping the Octagon for the squared circle. Paige VanZant has said she would "love to work with WWE" in a recent interview.
In case you didn't know...
VanZant is a 23-year-old MMA fighter who has never been one to shy away from the limelight outside of the Octagon.
She made it to the finals of Dancing With The Stars, won the celebrity edition of Chopped, and also appeared as a guest in Hell's Kitchen.
The flyweight holds a 7-4 MMA record, going 4-3 in UFC - but she is 1-3 in her past four fights having recently switched from the 115-pound division to the newly created women’s 125-pound weight class.
Her debut in that division could have been better as she lost unanimously to the judges' decisions and suffered a broken arm in the process.
The heart of the matter
While VanZant didn't exactly follow in Rousey's footsteps by saying WWE would be her priority, the flyweight did say she would not turn down the opportunity, and would love to work with WWE - as seen in the video below.
In fact, VanZant even spoke of her WWE aspirations back in 2016.
VanZant, while not exactly being on a hot streak in UFC, holds some incredible name value and is one of the handful of stars whose name is known outside the MMA world. She had commented that Rousey’s move is “amazing” and that she would welcome a stab at it too.
While in London for UFC Fight Night 127, VanZant said:
It’s just another platform for us UFC fighters to make a name for ourselves. I know Ronda is going to do awesome at it, and she’s going to make a name for herself in the WWE.
However, we may not see her sign a full-time contract like Rousey did if WWE came knocking. The flyweight has signaled her intentions to continue fighting in the Octagon, at least for now.
I’m a fighter first and foremost but, if the opportunity ever came knocking, I’m not one to turn opportunities down. I think it’s an amazing organisation, and I’d definitely love to work with them.
What's next?
Well, we won't see VanZant in the Octagon any time soon as she's currently still recuperating from the arm break suffered in her last fight. The UFC star reportedly faces at least another three months on the shelf.
With Ronda Rousey's WWE debut imminent in a Mixed Tag Team Match with Kurt Angle though, this one is worth keeping an eye on.
Author's take
Well, relations between WWE and UFC have seemingly never been closer. After Brock Lesnar's return to the Octagon saw some cross-promotion between the two huge organizations and Ronda Rousey's contract signing in Las Vegas saw a plethora of UFC stars attend Elimination Chamber, we may not have seen the last of the crossovers here.
I would personally love to see Paige VanZant in WWE. She's incredibly charismatic and, if she could pick up professional wrestling, would bring a load of mainstream eyes to WWE, much in the same way that Ronda Rousey has.
