Even though Paige VanZant was outclassed by Rose Namajunas at UFC Fight Night 80 on Thursday night, she showed her mettle by withstanding punishment for nearly five rounds. How much did it stand out? Most people were buzzing about VanZant’s heart more than they were Namajunas’ superiority in the aftermath of the fight.
And at just 21 years old, there is plenty of reason to think VanZant will bounce back and learn from the experience. An emotional VanZant herself said she needed to sharpen her technique and that there was a long way to go in the post-fight press conference. She had plenty of support in the MMA community, too. One of her believers happens to be current strawweight champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who sees big things on the horizon for VanZant.
"It was an amazing fight between Paige and Rose, and a difficult fight for Paige VanZant," Jedrzejczyk said during a media day on Saturday in Las Vegas. "So Rose did well. She didn’t fight that much after TUF but she showed that she’s game. And Paige VanZant, she’s still young, but she’s very talented and she’s a bad ass. She’s got the character. She still must learn a lot, but she’s a very good fight. In the future for sure she will become a UFC champion."
"The strawweight division is a pretty young division, but it’s growing up," she said. "The UFC is the best organization in the world, they sign the best fighters. We’ve got the best strawweight fighters in the world, and I’m just waiting on them."
LINK: Joanna Jedrzejczyk: Paige VanZant will 'for sure become a UFC champion’