A Paige VanZant has not had an easy road to UFC, not only in the sports aspect, but also because she is a talented, young, and beautiful girl. Paige doesn't fit the generalized (stereotyped, I would say) image of female fighters, however, she is as effective as any other.

Carla Esparza was disappointed that, being champion, she did not receive a personal contract with Reebok and even "joked" about "wearing a blonde wig" to see if they would take notice of her, making a clear reference to Van Zant, since without being champion, with a professional fight in UFC she obtained a personal contract with UFC, along with Ronda Rousey, the only women in UFC with a contract with the sports company, which means more money.

Felice Herrig, Esparza's best friend, commented before her fight with VanZant that she did not believe Paige had enough to stay in UFC as a solid fighter, much less to defeat her. VanZant gave her a lesson by defeating her by unanimous decision and notching her second victory in the company.

VanZant says she is no longer interested in criticisms from people who speak ill of her

After a third encounter where she showed more qualities than in previous fights, it seems that the blonde begins to gain credibility, but not without having been hurt by people who simply bothered her for being who she is.

"I don't take what people say to heart, but at first it's difficult, but then I put it in perspective, like I've had many blessings in life. I don't see it negatively, I only focus on the blessings I've had (...) I know how much I've worked and I also know what I've sacrificed ... I've followed a very, very difficult path to get to UFC (...) So I know I deserve every second of every opportunity that I have been given. I will just keep winning fights to make a solid statement for the companies I represent. I feel blessed to be part of Reebok and I just want to continue being a good representative of that company, and with those companies, I work to move forward,” VanZant said.

Despite her image, she has maintained a good winning streak so far

She also doesn't take criticism of photo shoots, promotional appearances, and all the events where her image is used to heart, as she knows that is part of the campaign to sell fights, although being a representative of Team Alpha Male, she knows that the only way she can represent that team is by winning fights and looking perfect in the octagon, because at the end of the day what wins fights is her talent in the fight and not how good she looks in photos.

“People should remember that this is an entertainment industry, a ticket-selling industry, how many people you can bring to a fight, how many sales you can make,” Paige commented.

And with that determination, she will face Rose Namajunas on December 10 at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, being the first event she headlines.