Paige VanZant announces next fight details with tentative timeline - "The opportunity was really cool"

Paige VanZant's next fight date has just been announced, to a degree. However, it will not be mixed martial arts that she will return to. Instead, '12 Gauge' is aiming for a boxing match against an, as-of-yet, unidentified foe.

Despite previously alluding to her eventual return taking place in a bare-knuckle boxing setting, she has opted for a return in the square circle of traditional boxing with gloves and all. On episode #13 of her A Kickass Love Story podcast with her husband Austin Vanderford, she disclosed her fight plans.

"Hell yeah, I'll get one more fight in before I turn 30, because I turn 30, March 26. So I told my manager 'F**k yeah, I'll take it.' I'll get back into boxing. I was just really excited. The opportunity was really cool. So I was, like, perfect, eight-week camp, I don't have that long to stress or overthink, or anything like that, so I was, like, that’s perfect. It turns out it's not going to be March 23."

Despite her initial plans for a fight return prior to her 30th birthday, VanZant was ultimately forced to surrender to either a May or June date.

"After I accepted it, they were like, 'Okay, you know what? We're going to actually move it to, I think, June.' No, May. Yeah, May or June. We heard both dates. I heard both dates, so once I have the full information, we'll be able to release it on the podcast, of course. But I accepted a boxing match. That'll be my next fight."

Check out Paige VanZant outlining her plans for a boxing match (11:29):

Despite her ample combat sports experience, VanZant has never actually competed in professional boxing, and her bare-knuckle record sits at a disappointing 0–2, with unanimous decision losses to Rachael Ostovich and her first BKFC foe, Britain Hart.

---

How many UFC champions has Paige VanZant fought?

Paige VanZant's UFC tenure got off to a successful start, as she scored four consecutive wins before being matched up with future women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. In what turned out to be a humbling beating as opposed to a star-making performance, she was submitted in round five.

Check out Paige VanZant's loss to Rose Namajunas:

It remains her only fight against an opponent who has held UFC gold. Following the loss to Namajunas, VanZant found herself on a rough patch, going 2–3 in her next five fights before parting ways with the promotion.