UFC sensation Paige VanZant has confirmed she will "never ever" fight Ronda Rousey.
VanZant moved her UFC record to 2-0 after convincingly beating Felice Herrig at UFC on Fox 15, but she isn't interested in working toward a bout against the toughest fighter in women's MMA. The 21-year-old strawweight appeared on TMZ Hollywood Sports, where she confirmed she wouldn't meet bantamweight champion Rousey in the middle to make an encounter happen.
When asked if it's a possibility, a smiling VanZant replied "never ever," saying "we're different weight classes, so we don't have to," per TMZ (transcribed by the author of this article).
Instead, the Reebok-sponsored athlete confirmed she wants to "follow in her [Rousey's] footsteps."
VanZant believes Rousey is a "great representation of women and women athletes," someone who has "paved the way" for youngsters like her to make an impression. The emerging star admitted she is "very thankful" of Rousey for significantly upping global interest in women's MMA since joining the UFC.
UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson believes VanZant "could be" the next iconic female fighter but that she would "absolutely not" topple Rousey, per TMZ.
Talk of such a bout can be marked down as people getting ahead of themselves, particularly as the contest doesn't make much sense at this stage in either fighter's career.
For one, VanZant has plenty of challenges to overcome in her own division. Unbeaten fighters such as Tecia Torres, Maryna Moroz and Alexandra Albu could stand in her way before a shot at champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is even considered.
Torres also beat Herrig by unanimous decision at the end of 2013 and is among the many who will fancy stifling the hype following VanZant. Let's not forget she beat the emerging talent at Invicta FC 4, where VanZant suffered her only career loss via UD.
VanZant worked hard to stifle Herrig's power on the ground during Saturday's bout, utilising explosive energy and relentless transition attempts to move herself away from potentially difficult positions.
Once in control, she vigorously worked the ground-and-pound. This isn't something Rousey is susceptible to, and as proved multiple times with her iconic armbar finish, Rowdy is often most dangerous when things hit the mat.
VanZant has a long way to go before she can be considered anywhere near Rousey's bracket, but the signs are good.
She's a hard-working fighter, someone who doesn't appear to take herself too seriously and is genuinely thankful for the opportunity to star. There's no sense of entitlement despite the press already painting her as the next dominant champion.
This is perhaps what makes VanZant so likable, as her natural demeanour is easy to root for. Rousey's hard-nosed style couldn't offer a greater contradiction, but it's this ruthlessness that has underpinned her rise to the top.
Whether VanZant will replicate this in the future—when she becomes the one every other fighter is targeting—will be interesting to watch play out.
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