Paige VanZant’s competitive fighting career has paused in recent years, but the freeze has apparently proved monetarily beneficial.
According to VanZant, a former UFC star, her entry into the world of OnlyFans content creation has paid more than its dividends. In a recent interview with Barstool Sports, VanZant estimated she made more money in one day on the subscription platform than she did in her entire fighting career – UFC and otherwise – combined.
“I definitely have. I’d say when I made the switch to OnlyFans, there’s a lot of stuff I’ve done in my career and I’ve been really fortunate my career even outside of the UFC and outside of fighting has been pretty successful,” VanZant said. “I’ve worked pretty hard in other industries and trying to cross over to more of a mainstream personality. But yes, OnlyFans has definitely been my largest source of income, I would say combined, in my fighting career. I think I’ve made more money in 24 hours on OnlyFans than I did in my entire fighting career combined.”
VanZant, now 29, launched an independent subscription site in 2021, before she eventually made the jump to the more universally recognizable platform OnlyFans in 2022. During that time, VanZant competed twice in bareknuckle boxing for BKFC and lost both bouts. Her most recent competition was in July 2021. She was scheduled for a third bout in late 2022, but it was canceled.
When she was actively fighting, VanZant often branched outside of MMA and used her platform to explore other avenues. She was runner-up on “Dancing with the Stars,” Season 22 in 2016 and won an episode of the hit Food Network series “Chopped” in 2017. VanZant also made several appearances on All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2021 to 2022.
Despite her openness to maximizing exposure, VanZant admits producing adult content presented its mental hurdles. It’s something over time she came to terms with for monetary reasons, though not necessarily self-centered ones.
“I was nervous about the stigma but now it’s hard to walk away from,” VanZant said. “… But I feel like if you’re one of those people who were born poor and grew up poor and then you become rich, it’s almost like you always just feel poor. You always want to continue to work hard.
“I am lucky I’m in a position where I’ve been able to help my family, My husband and I help our family. We do everything we can to bring everybody up to the table. … For me, it justifies doing exclusive content knowing that I’m helping take care of everybody around me.”
