Paige VanZant has been wowing everyone as of late and for a fighter on the upswing, it seems only normal for her to set her eye on the big prize, that of which is the UFC Women’s Strawweight title currently held by Joann Jedrzejczyk.
Before moving forward on that outlook, VanZant knows that for now it seems like wishful thinking. While he has three victories under her belt in the UFC and 6-1 in the MMA, her time to challenge Jedrzejczyk may be a wee bit too early.
Recall that UFC President Dana White sees VanZant as a future rock star in the UFC circle and the way she has been turning up during fights held in the Octagon, it is not hard to see why.
For those who have yet to be impressed, well you do have a chance to see that when VanZant goes up against Joanne Calderwood at UFC Fight Night 80 which will be held on Dec. 10, 2015 at the The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Could a win over Calderwood catapult her towards a possible fight with the champ? Many feel she doesn’t deserve one, at least not yet.
Ironically, VanZant shares the same sentiment and believes that she has a long way to go before that even happens.
"If I look at Joanna, of course, I feel a certain way about her, because she has the belt. She has something I want. I understand why I get some of the negative feedback from some of the strawweights because I am where they'd like to be. I'm just so blessed right now. I'm not going to take any of these things personally because they don't know me personally," says VanZant to MMA Junkie.
For the record, Jedrzejczyk is someone seen that VanZant could have a hard time matching up with. She displayed her dominance at ‘The Ultimate Fighter 20’ against Jessica Penne which turned out more of a mauling. Then there was that beatdown she gave Carla Esparza at TUF 20.
In short, Jedrzejczyk is someone that VanZant could have less than equal chances if they were to face off now or in the near future.
However, it seems that VanZant is in no hurry and believes that Jedrzejczyk will continue to reign in the division up until she eventually gets there.
“Of course, we’re seeing a lot of other strawweights with a lot of talent. She’s going to have top competition. But I do think that she will be the person who stays with the title until I get there,” says VanZant.
Apparently the road towards that begins against Calderwood who could care less about all the hype and push that VanZant has been getting.
'I'm going to feel her out and see what she gives me. If the opportunity is there I'm obviously going to take it but I have to expect everything. I'm hoping for another fight of the night,” says Calderwood via The Daily Mail.
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