Poll: Will Paige VanZant Be UFC Champion?
Last night (Sat., September 5, 2015) budding women’s MMA star Paige VanZant put on what could only be dubbed a dominant performance against TUF veteran Alex Chambers to kick off the main card of UFC 191 from Las Vegas (watch full highlights here).
Going in as a monstrous -1400 favorite, it almost wasn’t whether ‘12 Gauge’ would get the job done, but how. She did so impressively with from the opening bell, battering Chambers with pressure striking and capping it off with a third round armbar that unfortunately earned the predictable comparison to Ronda Rousey from Mike Goldberg.
Yet the win also raised some questions about her readiness to truly contend with the top levels of the developing women’s strawweight division. Only 21 years old, VanZant has said she wants to be the youngest UFC champion in history, and she has two years to accomplish that illustrious goal.
But the Team Alpha Male member will have a lofty mountain to climb. After beating top-ranked veteran Felice Herrig in her last fight at UFC on FOX 15 in April, VanZant was curiously given a huge step down in competition in the unranked Chambers. ‘Astro Girl’ simply had nothing for the No. 7 VanZant, and all she had to do was press forward and impose her will in a fight seemingly booked for her to further her scope on under the lights of a pay-per-view stage.
Despite her trademark toughness, VanZant didn’t have to persevere or show us anything about her resilience last night, and that’s just not going to be anything close to the case if and when she faces the top of the division stars like champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha. Jedrzejczyk is a ruthless Muay Thai champion who never stops throwing, and many believe ‘Claudinha’ already beat her late last year.
A no-brainer future star, VanZant may already be amongst the top five contenders in the young division, and she should be headed for a big fight next, perhaps against the winner of UFC 194’s Tecia Torres vs. Michelle Waterson. VanZant will undoubtedly be tested soon, but last night didn’t tell us all that much about where she really stands in the strawweight landscape.
With that said, do you believe VanZant will eventually be UFC champion?
