One of the most popular women in mixed martial arts is crossing over into professional wrestling.
Paige VanZant, a UFC veteran, has signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling, AEW president Tony Khan announced Wednesday night on Twitter. VanZant signed her AEW contract in a segment on Wednesday night’s “Dynamite” television show.
In September, VanZant debuted in AEW with teammates from American Top Team — including gym owner Dan Lambert, UFC star Jorge Masvidal and former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos — as part of a storyline with pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho. Lambert has become a mainstay on AEW programming since the summer.
VanZant made a surprise appearance in AEW last month in a segment with now-former AEW chief brand officer Brandi Rhodes, which seemed to indicate she would be working with AEW more.
Last week, Khan tweeted that he had a deal in place for VanZant to sign her contract Wednesday on TV. She did so at the end of the show following a match between Scorpio Sky, whom Lambert is attached to in storyline as a manager, and Sammy Guevara. It appears VanZant will be embroiled now in a story with Guevara’s real-life girlfriend, Tay Conti, a black belt in judo and former WWE wrestler.
Sources said there is a plan in place for VanZant to begin training in professional wrestling. She has a background in acting, dancing (she is a former “Dancing With The Stars” competitor) and modeling, and has more than 3 million followers on Instagram.
VanZant, 27, left the UFC as a free agent in 2020, signing a lucrative deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. The Oregon native, who lives in Florida, went 0-2 in BKFC last year. VanZant went 5-4 in the UFC.