Paige VanZant Is Still Interested In WWE Run After UFC Career

If there’s one thing we’ve seen from Ronda Rousey, it’s that UFC competitors can do well in the world of sports entertainment. Potentially hoping to follow in the footsteps of Rousey, Paige VanZant has expressed interest in a WWE run after her UFC career wraps up. A meeting with chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon leads fans to believe that there’s a real possibility that she could find herself in the squared circle at some point.

A career change isn’t coming too soon, though. In an interview with MMA Weekly, VanZant said, “I’m not ready to leave the UFC just yet.” She elaborated upon this point, saying, “I love being a professional fighter and I still have a long career ahead of me.”

In the future, though, it would be a move that would make sense for both VanZant and the WWE. “There’s probably huge potential for a crossover down the line and of course I’m a big fan of what they do, so it would be great to be a part of,” VanZant said.

Last Tuesday, Paige had the opportunity sit down and meet with Stephanie McMahon while attending the global tech conference titled Web Summit 2018. McMahon was one of the primary speakers at the event.

VanZant didn’t elaborate much on what her and McMahon spoke about, simply saying, “I got the opportunity to talk to Stephanie for a little bit on Tuesday which was great.”

As for her UFC career, VanZant hasn’t seen exactly the same level of success as Ronda Rousey. In seven fights, “12 Gauge” has a 4-3 record. While not terrible, it’s not a record that will put her into title contention anytime soon. That hasn’t stopped the UFC from featuring her prominently on events, which is largely thanks to her crossover appeal through appearances on shows like Dancing With The Stars and Chopped.

Her less-than-stellar record is actually the reason that many fans have called for her to make the transition to WWE, as her personality could shine through there without the need to worry about her win-loss record.

The next time we’ll see Paige VanZant in the UFC cage is on January 19, 2019. She is set to face Rachael Ostovich on the UFC’s ESPN+ debut.

Long before VanZant and Rousey, performers like Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock made the transition from professional fighting to the WWE. Brock Lesnar is famous for going the other way, starting with pro wrestling and moving to the UFC. Lesnar saw great success in his fighting career, winning the UFC heavyweight championship from Randy Couture.