UFC star Paige VanZant is currently recovering from her latest arm surgery and will then return to the Octagon for the final fight of her UFC contract. VanZant is one of the brightest stars on the UFC roster thanks to her crossover appeal.
Outside of the cage, VanZant’s appeal landed her in the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. VanZant became the second UFC fighter to be featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, with former women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey being the first. She has also found success on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and was a winner of a celebrity edition of the Food Network’s Chopped.
Because of all of the attention VanZant garners, she lands multiple endorsements. Those endorsements have become a major source of revenue for the 25-year-old and, in fact, she claims to make more money on Instagram than when she is sacrificing her body in the cage.
“With endorsements, I make way more money sitting at home posting pictures on Instagram than I do fighting,” VanZant said during an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “With endorsement deals and everything I pull in from social media, I would actually be at a loss just taking a fight.
“If I were to stop everything I do outside of fighting and just fight, I would be at a loss unfortunately, by a long shot, so it’s just with TV endorsements, all the things I do, coming off of Sports Illustrated, it’s just like, if I’m going to keep breaking my arm, if I’m going to keep bleeding and sacrificing for this sport, I feel like it’s all fighters and all female fighters need to be recognized.”
There is no word on when VanZant will return to the Octagon, but the good news for her is that Instagram is still there and the money can continue rolling in.
VanZant last fought on January 19, 2019, against Rachael Ostovich during the UFC’s ESPN debut in Brooklyn, New York where she earned a second-round submission win. VanZant’s win over Ostovich snapped a two-fight losing skid and gave her a victory for the first time since August 2016. Her professional record now stands at 8-4 with two wins by KO and three wins by submission.