UFC President says Paige VanZant should ‘definitely test free agency’ after getting ‘smoked’
Paige Vanzant came to Fight Island to bet on herself. Saturday’s fight marked the last fight on Paige’s current UFC contract. VanZant was looking to put on a spectacular performance and get a win on her last fight to test free agency.
Unfortunately, for Paige, things did not go as planned. Vanzant was submitted in the first round by Amanda Ribas in the pay-per-view opening fight.
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
After the bout, UFC President Dana White was not impressed by her performance and suggested she should test free agency.
“I like Paige,” White told reporters after UFC 251. “It’s like Blaydes, when Blaydes fought last. When you talk all that stuff, ‘I’m not being paid enough,’ and fighting inconsistently, one time in the last year, injuries, and then got smoked in the first round of the fight, she should definitely test free agency.”
The UFC doesn’t seem interested in re-signing Paige.
In her pre-fight interview Wednesday, VanZant expressed excitement about venturing outside of the UFC.
“I’m excited. I’ve never been in this position ever, so I think it’s an important position for me to be in,” VanZant said. “You don’t really know your value until somebody else tells you what it is, and it’s the option of multiple people that say what they think my value is. So I’m going to gain a lot of knowledge.”
Paige also commented on her contract and wanted to be paid her worth.
“I’ve added up all the money I’ve made in the UFC over six years, and I could have just had a regular job with the same pay. I’m so thankful for everything the UFC has done for me, the platform they’ve given me. This is nothing against the UFC. But the contract I signed is what I signed and I know I need to honor it. That’s why I’m fighting this last fight out and I was never trying to break it early.
“It’s important to fight this fight out, honor my contract, and then say listen this is my value and this is what I need to be paid to make it worth it.”
Despite the loss, Paige issued a statement on Instagram congratulating her opponent.
Image via @paigevanzant on Instagram
Paige will now enter free agency, VanZant has lost four of her past six fights. VanZant has been with the UFC since 2014. Her husband, Austin Vanderford, is also an MMA fighter on the Bellator roster.
Where will Paige go next? Will she stay in the UFC?
