Paige VanZant Says She’s Not Retiring From MMA Yet, Discusses Incident Traveling to AEW

– Newly signed AEW talent Paige VanZant appeared on WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM/660 AM New York’s Carton & Roberts, and she discussed signing with AEW and beginning her wrestling career. Below are some highlights of her recent appearance:

On having airport trouble for her recent flight to Texas for AEW: “I showed up to the airport, and the flight was booked under my maiden name, but I’m a traditional woman and took my husband’s last name. They booked it under the wrong last name, [went] up to TSA, and they were trying to get me to be able to take the flight. I Googled myself and was like, ‘This is who I am, I swear I’m the same person … There’s articles out there, all this crazy stuff [pops up] … I did get my mother to send me a copy of my marriage certificate.”

Her thoughts on MMA vs. Pro Wrestling: “I’m not done MMA fighting at all. I think people have this
idea that you have to stick with one thing, but being a mixed martial artist, and being in this sport, you can evolve and can focus on one aspect at any given time. Definitely not retired from MMA, but at this current moment, I am signed to [professional boxing and professional wrestling].”

Paige VanZant on what got her into combat sports: “I did go through some significant bullying as a kid, I wrote a book about it. It’s called, ‘Rise’…My dad was in high school and part of college [where] he wrestled. [He was a] huge fan of MMA and UFC, watched it on T.V. One day I was like, ‘You think it’ll be okay if I tried MMA?’, and my mom was like, ‘I don’t know,’ and my dad, of course, was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’m taking you to your first class. We’re doing it together, let’s go.'”

When she first started fighting: “I started fighting when I was 15…That passion got sparked in me at a young age, and just because I grew up and matured, doesn’t mean I changed who I was…I know I’ll be successful at absolutely anything. You don’t stop your dreams in fear of your looks…I’ve been asked about professional
wrestling for a really long time. I kind of always knew it would be a part of my journey and part of my life, I just didn’t know when the opportunity would take off.”