Following a year-long hiatus due to a broken arm, Paige VanZant is all healed and ready to face anyone. She’s coming off an unsuccessful flyweight debut and will attempt to rebound at UFC Fight Night 143 against Rachael Ostovich, a 4-4 Invicta Fighting Championships veteran with two fights inside the Octagon.
As “12 Gauge” gears up for this pivotal bout, here are some numbers that have endeared her to mixed martial arts fans.
15: Years old when she first entered an MMA gym. VanZant’s family owned a dance studio, so she was brought up dancing ballet, jazz and hip-hop. She initially tried to look for a studio when they moved to Sparks, Nevada, but ended up training at Lion’s Den in Reno instead.
50: Seconds was all she needed to submit Morgan Hunter in her first amateur bout at a local promotion called Ultimate Reno Combat. But before that, she joined a few amateur boxing matches. She then decided to focus on MMA, sharpening her skills under the tutelage of Ken Shamrock. Two years later, she turned pro.
3: Full rounds in her professional debut. VanZant faced Jordan Nicole Gaza at UWF: Tournament of The Warriors and won by split decision.
2: Straight victories to start her professional career. VanZant followed up her successful debut with a unanimous decision victory over Amber Stautzenberger at Premiere Fight Series 2. For her third fight, however, she lost to fellow future Ultimate Fighting Championship standout, Tecia Torres.
20: Years old when she was signed by the UFC. VanZant was one of the youngest fighters in the entire roster at the time, but her youth didn’t prove much of a hurdle as evidenced by her successful debut. “12 Gauge” stopped Kailin Curran in the final frame and earned Fight of the Night honors.
4: Straight victories was her longest winning streak. After losing to Torres, she racked up wins over quality opponents such as Curran, Courtney Himes, Felice Herrig and Alex Chambers.
73: Significant strikes was the most she landed in a single fight. This was against Chambers at UFC 191. She slowly softened her opponent, and when the opportunity presented itself, VanZant locked in an armbar that ended the fight at 1:01 of the third round.
2: Performance bonuses. Apart from her Fight of the Night performance versus Curran, she also earned $50,000 in bonus money with her Performance of the Night award against Bec Rawlings at UFC on Fox 21.
3: UFC fights in which she scored at least two takedowns. She forced three each on Chambers and Curran and two on Herrig.
24: Years of age. VanZant was born on March 26, 1994, in Dundee, Oregon. Apart from being a professional fighter, she is also an author, a former model and television personality who has appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” and “Chopped.”