Paige VanZant's first-ever UFC loss came at the hands of Rose Namajunas in a gritty, brutal fight. Years ago, '12 Gauge' recounted an emotionally charged moment in the fight that saw her yell at former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry, who was in 'Thug Rose's' corner and just so happens to be her foe's husband.
On an episode of her podcast, a clip of which she shared on Instagram, VanZant detailed her a brief, but heated exchange with Barry. It occurred late into the fight, with Namajunas working on the rear-naked choke that eventually forced '12 Gauge' to tap out.
"So, I'm in the middle of the fight, and Rose is on my back, and we are so sweaty and bloody that she couldn't submit me. It took a really long time, so she kept getting deep in these submissions. But I was super flexible and mobile, and I could get out and escape. And at one point, she is, like, on my back and, like, I had that cut and Pat in the corner was like, 'She's quitting, she's going to quit. Open up that cut,' and I screamed back at Pat, 'I'm not f*cking quitting!'"
Check out Paige VanZant recounting her incident with Pat Barry:
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Prior to her bout with Namajunas, VanZant was unbeaten in the UFC, and on a three-fight win streak in the promotion. Due to her marketable physical appearance, she was likened to the great Ronda Rousey, a comparison many disagreed with, given Rousey's legendary accomplishments.
Unfortunately for VanZant, her loss to Namajunas, the future UFC women's strawweight champion, marked the start of a long decline in her combat sports career. After her win streak, she went 2-4 in MMA before plying her trade elsewhere.
Paige VanZant has competed in various combat sports and entertainment fields in her post-UFC career
After failing to reach the heights expected of her in MMA, Paige VanZant dipped her toes in professional wrestling, making brief appearances in AEW, even competing in the Double or Nothing pay-per-view. However, her pro-wrestling stint was just a flash in the pan, and she eventually returned to combat sports.
Check out Elle Brooke's knockdown of Paige VanZant:
This time, she signed with BKFC, where she faced Britain Hart and fellow ex-UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich, losing to both women. She then had a one-fight stint in influencer boxing, drawing against Elle Brooke. Finally, she signed with Power Slap, where she broke her winless streak by going 2-0-1.