Paige VanZant wants to win 'Dancing with the Stars' then fight at UFC 200
When Paige VanZant got the call from her manager that "Dancing with the Stars" was interested in putting her on the new season of the show, it almost felt too good to be true.
Before she was a top-10 strawweight in the UFC, VanZant was an aspiring dancer who practiced for years in different styles of dance as well as cheerleading.
She never imagined that she'd be doing "Dancing with the Stars" just four fights into her UFC career, but VanZant was over the moon with excitement when she officially got the offer to join the show.
"I was excited right away. It was amazing that they thought about me, that they wanted to have a meeting with me about possibly being on the show. It was a really cool experience. Then it took forever to find out if I was on the show, then I finally found out I was on the show and it was such a great honor that they thought about me for it," VanZant told FOX Sports on Tuesday after she was announced as part of the cast.
"It's been surreal. Even when we got to announce it, it was such a big production and I couldn't believe that I was sitting on the stage with all these huge names and being a part of it. I'm excited to be one of four athletes on the show."
VanZant joins Super Bowl MVP Von Miller of the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown and former NFL QB Doug Flutie on this season's show. She also joins a very exclusive club of UFC fighters who have been invited to do "Dancing with the Stars". Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture both have appeared on the series, but VanZant is the first active fighter and the first female to be included.
VanZant knows how huge this opportunity is for her and that she'll be a representative for women's MMA, and she takes that very seriously.
"I just want to bring a new dimension and I want to be a really good representative of women's athletes and women's fighters. Just to show them that we can do so much more than fight, so much more than just being tough. So I'm excited to show a whole new side of me," VanZant said.
"People identify me as a fighter and I am a fighter, I'm tough, but I want to show there's so much more to me than that."
VanZant's appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" began with a conversation her management team had with the producers of the show several months ago as the cast for the new season started coming together.
#DWTS Couple: @PaigeVanzantUFC and @MarkBallas! @ufc @DancingABC #DancingOnGMA pic.twitter.com/atW58BFYCO
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 8, 2016
While it meant putting her next fight on hold, VanZant's representatives knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that's something she just couldn't pass up.
"It's an excellent opportunity for Paige to do something she's passionate about. It's also an opportunity for her to represent the UFC and MMA in a good light. They can see a different side of her and what kind of people actually fight in mixed martial arts," VanZant's manager, Mike Roberts of MMA Inc., told FOX Sports.
"I flew out to LA and had some meetings with the producers of the show and they fell in love with her instantly. It was an ongoing process. It probably took about two months to come together and along with my partners at 3Arts Entertainment and Mark Schulman, we were able to come to an agreement on the deal. Dana (White) and Lorenzo (Fertitta) were very supportive of Paige and helpful throughout the entire process and now she's going for it."
VanZant is the second fighter from the MMA Inc. roster to join a reality show this year after former UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen also signed on to do "The Apprentice" on NBC.
VanZant pays homage to her management team for getting her "Dancing with the Stars" but also keeping her distractions to a minimum. Any concerns about this becoming too much for VanZant while she's still an active UFC fighter get squashed right away by the 21-year-old competitor.
ICYMI: @PaigeVanzantUFC will be on season 22 of @DancingABC!!
— UFC (@ufc) March 9, 2016
? https://t.co/nCsnn8izl0 pic.twitter.com/Rs5uHNx2Jj
"I have the best team in the world. They just make it so easy for me," VanZant said. "Everyone asks 'How are you balancing all this?' but I don't do anything except show up. My management team takes great care of me. I have a great family. I just worrying about doing what's in my calendar. They really make it very easy for me."
So that's why VanZant isn't worried about doing "Dancing with the Stars" while still preparing for her UFC return later this year. She plans to return in time for UFC 200 in July — while carrying a "Dancing with the Stars" trophy.
"Throughout this I'm going to be trying my hardest to win, but I'm also going to be training the entire time. I am still a fighter first," VanZant said.
"The goal is still UFC 200; I've known for a while that's the one I want to be on. Perfect timing. If I were to make it to the finals of this, I'd still have a six-to-eight-week fight camp, which would be great. I'm still training in LA. I'm not missing out on anything. I'm excited to hopefully win on 'Dancing with the Stars' and then go fight on UFC 200."
VanZant knows she's got some competition, but the fighter living inside the dancer won't settle for anything else but first place.
"I have a great chance," VanZant said. "I do know Antonio Brown's got some moves and (Wanya Morris from Boyz II Men), he's got a great chance and he's got a great personality, too. I think those two guys are my biggest competition. My partner Mark Ballas, we've had a really great connection, we've been able to connect as partners and it's been really nice. He's going out there to win and I want to win."
