Exclusive Interview: Paige VanZant On Commentating For UFC FIGHT PASS' Kinektic, Her Next Fight & More

Speaking of your MMA career, do you know when your next fight is? Or is that something you're keeping secret for now?

Paige VanZant: No actually, so my arm, I go back to the doctor this Wednesday, and I'm hoping to get cleared to start training again. I'm basically two months out from my last arm surgery, so pending the doctor's appointment, I would love to start training right away. No matter what, I see myself fighting around the end of the year.

Speaking of training and all that, when did you know that this was a career and not just, "Hey I'm going to train to get in great shape and become a fighter?"

Paige VanZant: For me, I was kind of taking it as it came, and I took an amateur fight. It really was for fun, I was going to school at the time. I got offered a pro fight as well, "I might as well, I'm going to get paid for it." After my first pro win, I was like, "You know what? I'm really good at this. This is definitely what I want to do for the rest of my life." I kind of transitioned in my whole life, I dropped everything, moved to Vegas in pursuit of my full-time career and it worked out. It's been good to me so far.

Is living in Vegas as fun as it seems like it would be?

Paige VanZant: I was 18 when I lived there, so it was a little bit more fun for me than most people would think. (laughs)

As I mentioned before, you have had success on competition reality shows and writing a book beyond your MMA career. Is there anything else that you're hoping to accomplish in the immediate future? Or is really MMA everything for you right now?

Paige VanZant: There are different things I can do while recovering from my arm injury. I want to be commentating, I want to keep being involved in the UFC and other organizations as much as I can. That's a world that I love to be a part of. I don't know when I will get cleared to start training, but one things I'm going to be focused on, hands down, is my next fight. It's definitely the most important thing in my life. But I'm very good at multi-tasking and keeping myself busy in the meantime.

Interview continued on next page...

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Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. In the years following, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Format Magazine, Businessweek, The Improper, Chicago Tribune, the L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Darren is also the host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" podcast, as co-produced with PureGrainAudio. He is also the author of two published books, including 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press).