Don’t come to Paige VanZant with your Ronda Rousey hate. She’s not going to tolerate it.
Rousey’s meteoric rise beyond the mixed martial arts’ self-contained little world and into mainstream superstardom has come with the detractors that go with the territory – from MMA fans, fellow fighters, or just people bitter toward successful people in general.
But you’re not going to hear any jealousy from the 21-year-old VanZant, who many feel has the potential for breakthrough stardom of her own.
Just the opposite.
“Ronda’s been awesome to me,” VanZant told Yahoo Sports. “I don’t see how anyone can look at her and see anything except for, she’s the person you want to emulate and admire. If someone is saying bad things about Ronda, it’s because they’re jealous, they’re small-minded people who would rather tear someone down than build themselves up.”
As it turns out, VanZant is doing a solid job of building herself up. The Reno, Nev., native who has competed in martial arts much since she could walk, has been touted as the fighter with the best chance at gaining stardom in the newly established 115-pound weight class.
Just six fights into her career, she has already scored an individual endorsem*nt contract with Reebok, and she has proven to be more than just a pretty face, going 2-0 in the Octagon with a pair of impressive performances in her first two bouts.
It’s the sort of sudden fame that could go to someone’s head. But VanZant, who returns to action on Sept. 5 when she meets Alex Chambers at UFC 191 in Las Vegas, isn’t about to get sidetracked by the trappings of fame.
“That stuff just doesn’t matter to me that much,” VanZant said. “I guess it’s my upbringing, my parents kept my grounded and never let me get too full of myself. I just get more of a thrill out of focusing on my next goal than on getting recognized walking down the street.”
It also helps that VanZant has picked a gym whose fighters have been there and done that. VanZant has made Sacramento’s Team Alpha Male gym her MMA home. Alpha Male’s roster is a who’s who of lower-weight stars, from current UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw to title contenders like Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez.
Of course, the list also includes former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber, the gym’s founder, who has seen all the ups and downs of stardom in his decade-plus in the limelight.
“They’ve been great, all of them,” VanZant said. “This is the right gym for me on so many different levels. Urijah will let anyone come in and train, so that means I end up rolling with guys around my size. And, off the mat and out of the cage, they’re there to help me stay grounded and stay focused and make sure I stick to my goals and not let all the outside stuff get in the way. Someone like Urijah has seen it all, so when he talks, I listen.”
VanZant made her UFC debut last November, when she won Fight of the Night honors for a back-and-forth bout with Kaitlin Curran, which PVZ won via third-round TKO.
Her next bout, in April, was a much-discussed main-card fight against Felice Herrig on network television. While critics claimed the fight was more about cheesecake than fighting when the matchup was made, VanZant put a shocking beatdown on Herrig, earning 10-8 scores in the third round en route to a unanimous decision victory.
On the surface, Chambers, an Australian who competed on "The Ultimate Fighter 20," might seem a step down in name recognition from Herrig. But Chambers, like VanZant, scored a third-round finish of Curran in her last fight. And Chambers (5-2), like VanZant (5-1), is a blue belt in jiu-jitsu.
So VanZant sees Chambers, who she’ll fight on the opening match of the pay-per-view portion of the Sept. 5 card, as the right fighter at the right time.
“I see Alex as the perfect opponent for this very moment,” VanZant said. “We have complementary skills. We’re in the same point in our careers. We both beat the same opponent in the same round. We’re different but in some ways we’re on the same path, so when the UFC came to me and told me they wanted me to fight Alex, I knew right away this was the right fight.”
Taking the right fights along the way is a smart strategy for getting to the top. Which brings us back to Rousey.
VanZant knows she’s got a ways to go before she reaches Rousey’s level, if she ever gets there, so she’s not going to be presumptuous to compare herself to Rousey. But VanZant, who met Rousey at a Reebok function, says she’s learning from the standard-bearer how to conduct yourself like a champion.
“It’s the way she treats everyone,” VanZant said. “She was nice to me, but she was also polite and responsive to every fan and person who wanted to talk to her. That’s the way you should be and that’s why I shake my head when people are jealous of her.”
Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: @DaveDoyleMMA
