Paige VanZant was given UFC rules exemption by Dana White due to her "it" factor

Long gone are the days when Paige VanZant was tipped as a future superstar in mixed martial arts, but Dana White was once among her biggest admirers.

In fact, the UFC President went so far as to make a special exemption for VanZant when distributing the first solo sponsorship deals with Reebok. The promotion was struck by controversy when it partnered with the brand in late 2014, at which point fighters could no longer tout their own apparel sponsors.

The move worked out well for strawweight VanZant, however, who was only 20 when she became just the sixth fighter to be handed her own custom deal with Reebok. She joined an exclusive club that also included Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Johny Hendricks and Ronda Rousey.

Except for showman McGregor, every other fighter on that list was either a current or past UFC champion. VanZant, on the other hand, had fought just once in the UFC (4-1 in MMA) when the deals were rolled out in early 2015.

"Listen, people love that girl," White said in a February 2015 interview with UFC.com. "She has a great personality — I don't know if you saw the Instagram of her dancing out in front of her car. That's awesome. She has the personality. Some people have that ‘it factor' that you can't teach people, and Paige has it."

The judgement may have proved premature in hindsight. VanZant's UFC career started out promisingly as she went 3-0 in the promotion (6-1 overall), but that momentum slipped as she lost four of her next six bouts, eventually departing the UFC in 2020.

Do you think Paige VanZant will fight in the UFC again? Let us know in the comments section.

It wasn't to be the end of her martial arts career as '12 Gauge' transitioned to Bare Knuckle FC. Her future in the sport looks uncertain, however, after losing twice in as many bare knuckle brawls.

VanZant's has found huge success selling adult material via paid subscription sites. Many of those members signed up to the service would surely concur with White's sentiment that the MMA beauty has "it" factor to spare.

At 28, there's plenty of time for VanZant to resume her MMA career should she wish, although a future in UFC might be a hope too far. The Oregon native has been linked with a rival promotion Bellator, which could provide the opportunity to rediscover some of her past potential in the cage.

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