Paige VanZant Says ‘Training Has Been Hard’ Following Second Broken Arm

UFC flyweight Paige VanZant is finding it hard not to exercise caution in training following her second broken arm.

VanZant first broke her right arm in her unanimous decision defeat to Jessica-Rose Clark in January of last year. She would be out-of-action for the rest of the year, until returning in January this year against Rachael Ostovich. She won that fight via submission, but would unfortunately suffer another broken arm soon after during training.

While she is medically cleared to return to full training sooner than expected, the 25-year-old is admittedly finding it hard to train without thinking of her arm:

“After the first surgery, I didn’t have any reservations of my arm,” VanZant explained (via MMA News). “I was throwing it with reckless abandon. After injuries there are always athletes who have that injury in the back of their minds. I actually do with this break. Because I broke it again after winning a fight.

“So training has actually been really hard the last few weeks. It’s always in the back of my mind but I’m hoping I can break that mental block of breaking my arm so many times.”

VanZant Targeting Summer Return

VanZant still feels good and is hoping to return to action as early as this summer. She added that her team and the UFC are discussing her next option at flyweight. However, it all hinges on how her arm feels:

“We’ll see what happens but I feel really good,” VanZant stated. “I’ve been running a lot so I still anticipate a summer return is what I’m hoping for.

“We’re communicating with the UFC and my managers and just hoping my arm feels really good. That will be a big determining factor.”

VanZant is 2-3 in her last five fights and will be looking to kickstart a winning streak in her next outing.