LAS VEGAS – If Paige VanZant gets her way, she’ll be back slap fighting sooner than later as the former UFC star believes she has a legitimate future in it.
Making her Power Slap debut last Friday at Fontainebleau Hotel & Casino, VanZant defeated Christine Wolmarans by unanimous decision after three rounds of defenselessly slapping each other in the face. VanZant’s venture into Power Slap – owned by Dana White and the UFC – was mocked by critics as the latest in a series of gimmicky career moves since her UFC departure. Those have included bareknuckle boxing with BKFC, pro wrestling with AEW, influencer boxing, and now slap fighting.
Now with one competition under her belt, VanZant is emboldened to make the most with Power Slap.
“I told everybody, and everybody should know that I am tough as hell,” VanZant told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after her win. “I’ve gone from the UFC to bareknuckle boxing to boxing to Power Slap, I’ve done pro wrestling. I just want to compete. I had an absolutely incredible time doing this. I think that they’re gonna want me back absolutely, so I do see a future here. I just want to compete, and I want to live my life and have fun, show off how tough I am.”
VanZant said she’s capable of doing Power Slap “much more often than any other sport,” in large part because she won’t cut weight.
“I do not think that you should cut weight for this (because of) the dehydration of the brain,” VanZant said. “… It does affect your brain. Taking slaps and just eating them right there, you do want to have your brain as hydrated as possible.”
When VanZant signed with BKFC in August 2020 after leaving the UFC, critics questioned why she’d do such a thing. Her signing sparked a lot of interest in BKFC and helped the promotion grow into an attractive option for mixed martial artists.
She believes she can do the same for Power Slap.
“Going from the UFC to bareknuckle boxing, it felt the exact same as coming here to Power Slap,” VanZant said. “I think nobody expected it. BKFC still wasn’t the powerhouse name that it is now, so I do think I sparked a lot of interest in people going over to BKFC. I think I’ll do the exact same thing here with Power Slap. You don’t know until you know, and now I hope I let everybody know that I do belong here, and I want to do crazy things.”
