With her commercial appeal, athletic prowess and never-give-up attitude, UFC up-and-comer Paige VanZant is already well on her way to stardom, but this week she upped the ante whenshe trained with Ronda Rouseys former foe Cris Cyborg Justino. <\/p>\n
VanZant, who suffered a loss in her most recent fight at UFC on Fox 22,expressed her intention to fight again immediately after the Dec. 17 defeat to Michelle Waterson. <\/p>\n
[Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson mistake UFC faceoff for dance-off] <\/p>\n
That intent only grewin the new year when after a short holiday break, VanZant hit the gym again, keeping her fans updated on her training regime on social media. <\/p>\n
The 22-year-old strawweights beendoing cardio, lifting weights, working on her martial arts skills, and now, it appears shes hoping to perfect her boxing abilities with the help of Cyborg. <\/p>\n
Considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Cyborg (17-1) has mowed down just about every woman shes ever faced in the last 11 years. <\/p>\n
Iron sharpens iron, VanZant wrote on Instagram alongside a photograph of her and the 31-year-old Brazilian. <\/p>\n
Its unclear how long VanZant and Cyborg have been friendly, but fight fans know they have one thing in common they both have amutual distaste for Rousey. <\/p>\n
VanZant, who competes at a lower weight limit than Rousey, once claimed she wasbullied bythe fighter for having tweeted congratulations to Holly Holm, who upset Rousey in November 2015. <\/p>\n
[Miesha Tate and Paige VanZant swear theyve been bullied by Ronda Rousey] <\/p>\n
Cyborgs drama with Rousey, meanwhile, goes much deeper. Their rivalry began in 2011, when Rousey, then just eight months into her pro-MMA career, reportedly turned down a fight against Cyborg in the 145-pound division of the Strikeforce promotion and accused the Brazilian of using steroids. <\/p>\n
Cyborg, who, ironically maybe, is currently fighting another accusation of steroid use after she failed a recent drug test, denied the accusations at the time, and fired back by repeatedly calling out Rousey as a coward. <\/p>\n
While the current Invicta featherweight champion seemed to mold her career in the last few years around the goal of eventually fighting Rousey in a catchweight clash, that disappeared last month when Rousey suffered her second defeat in what UFC President Dana White believes was her final fight. <\/p>\n
Cyborg called a truce with Rousey, who has yet to respond. <\/p>\n
[Dana White says Ronda Rouseys fighting career is probably done] <\/p>\n
VanZant, meanwhile, has remained mum about Rousey since the 30-year-old lost to Amanda Nunes on Dec. 30. That seems like the smart move as the former Dancing With the Stars runner-up concentrates on advancing her burgeoning fight career. <\/p>\n
VanZant, who exhibited a set of unique skills in August when she beat Bec Rawlings in what retired UFC fighter Urijah Faber described in a phone interview last year as a video game finish, is still awaiting word on her next fight. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
See the original post here: <\/p>\n
UFC's Paige VanZant trains with Ronda Rousey rival Cris Cyborg ... - Washington Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With her commercial appeal, athletic prowess and never-give-up attitude, UFC up-and-comer Paige VanZant is already well on her way to stardom, but this week she upped the ante whenshe trained with Ronda Rouseys former foe Cris Cyborg Justino. VanZant, who suffered a loss in her most recent fight at UFC on Fox 22,expressed her intention to fight again immediately after the Dec. 17 defeat to Michelle Waterson. Continue reading