Paige VanZant

Bio:
Paige VanZant (born on March 26, 1994 in Dayton, Oregon) is a MMA fighter who competes in the women’s Strawweight of the UFC. Brought up in the small town of Dayton, Oregon her parents owned a dance studio, so she quickly learned different dancing styles, including ballet, hip-hop and jazz. An outdoorsy type, Paige quickly had the reputation of a tomboy because of her favorite hobbies, fishing, hunting and riding dirt bikes. When her family upped sticks to Sparks, Nevada she mistakenly came across UFC legend Kevin Shamrock‘s gym, thinking it was a dance studio. She was soon hooked on mixed martial arts and boxing and took part in her first amateur fight aged just 18. She made her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2012, beating Jordan Nicole Gaza at at UWF’s Tournament of Warriors finale. In December 2013, she was signed by the UFC for its new Strawweight Division. Because of her good looks and rising star, she has already modeled for Nike and Columbia Sportswear. She was announced to appear on season 22 of CBS reality show Dancing with the Stars on March 8. 2016.

Best Known For:
Paige is best known for her aggressive grappling skills which she uses to gain an advantage over her opponent, then finish with a flurry of strikes

Personal Life:
In high-school, Paige was regularly bullied by a group of mean girls. She has revealed in the past that’s what motivated her to learn martial arts so she can have the ability to defend herself.