Paige Van Zant is a woman of many talents. The former UFC strawweight contender is trying her hand at another combat sport.
Van Zant will make her Power Slap debut on June 28, per the UFC’s official social media account.
Van Zant, who has competed in MMA, bare-knuckle boxing, and traditional boxing, will face South Africa’s Christine Wolmarans, who also has a history as an MMA competitor.
Wolmarans competed in the first-ever women’s Power Slap competition in October 2923, when she suffered a second-round KO loss to Sheena Bathory. I’ll let you know before you watch the video; the KO is vicious and devastating.
As a mixed martial artist, Wolmarans is 1-2 with one victory via KO and two losses by submission with EFC. As a mixed martial artist, Van Zant is 8-5.
Her last appearance in the Octagon happened in July 2020 when she lost to Amanda Ribas via armbar at UFC 251. Van Zant has had two fights with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. In 2021, Van Zant lost two BKFC bouts to Rachael Ostovich and Britain Hart, respectively.
In May, Van Zant fought to a split draw with Elle Brooke. In addition to her exploits as a combat sports competitor, Van Zant has participated in All Elite Wrestling storylines and Dancing With the Stars, and she has built a large following on her Only Fans account.
While she was never a champion in the UFC and hasn’t achieved a high level in professional wrestling, boxing, or bare-knuckle, Van Zant is the biggest otherwise associated combat sports name to make the shift to Power Slap.
As the UFC’s child promotion continues to gain popularity, it will be interesting to see if Van Zant’s inclusion leads to more prominent names throwing their hats on the Power Slap stage.
The event lands toward the end of International Fight Week and will be a big one for TKO Holdings. On Friday, we’ll see Power Slap, and on Saturday, we’ll see UFC 303.
The pay-per-view card has taken some hits, losing Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler and having the co-main event restructured, but Alex Pereira’s rematch with Jiri Prochazka, Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega, and Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page still add appeal to the event. Here is a look at the new UFC 303 card:
- (c) Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka 2 – Light Heavyweight Championship
- Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
- Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
- Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
- Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
- Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
- Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
- Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez
- Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira
We’ll see how much attention Van Zant can grab during a massive weekend for combat sports.
