Paige VanZant’s husband Austin Vanderford proved that he is not just the 8-5-0 UFC Women’s Flyweight star’s husband. Vanderford has been a competitive MMA fighter for more than 13 years and represented Bellator MMA before. But now things have taken a drastic change as he just got signed into UFC after all these years. He is best known for being the husband of former UFC fighter Paige VanZant and recently the two campaigned for Vanderford to finally get an opportunity in the Octagon.
Now he is stepping into short notice for a 175 lbs catchweight fight against Nikolay Veretennikov on the UFC Seattle card.
All about Austin Vanderford before he came to UFC
Vanderford is an American professional MMA fighter who previously fought in Bellator MMA and contended for the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. He was born in Santa Rosa California and moved to Alaska when he was just 9 months old. After he entered high school, his knack for wrestling emerged and he developed a taste for competitive wrestling. He became a 2-time Alaska State Wrestling Champion in his junior and senior years.
So, he was always pretty good at wrestling and this was just the start of a long and fruitful MMA journey. Vanderford made his professional debut at Prime Fighting 9 on March 11, 2017, and defeated Sol Renato, via TKO in Round 1. He was unstoppable as he defeated his next two opponents as well and won the CageSport Welterweight title against Ben Fodor. Finally, in 2018, he was invited to face Angelo Trevino at Dana White’s Contender Series 13.
Guess what? He won again via rear naked choke in Round 2 but did not secure a contract with UFC. In the same year, Vanderford’s wife Page VanZant made her debut in UFC. The pair had struck up a relationship while training at the same gym. Now, VanZant can cheer her husband on in her former promotion.
Austin Vanderford’s short-notice UFC signing
“See you in Seattle UFC,” VanZant wrote on X, responding to the announcement of Vanderford’s signing. He is making his debut at UFC Fight Night 252 which is headlined by former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. The 34-year-old boasts a solid pro-MMA record of 12 wins and 2 losses.
Speaking to BBC Sport in 2022 he had said that he could not believe someone like VanZant was interested in him when they first started dating. ‘The Gentleman’ said, ” I come from a very small town in Alaska and had met very few celebrities, so it was hard to believe that she was interested in me. So really, she pursued me more than I did her for the simple fact that it was just unbelievable to me.”
However, now VanZant’s husband is in Dana White’s organization since she left in 2020, and she is all in to support her husband. Seven of Vanderford’s 12 wins came via finishes –4 Kos and 3 submissions. So, expectations might be high for his UFC performance. What do you think awaits Austin Vanderford this weekend—a win or a loss? Drop your comments below.
The post Paige VanZant’s Husband Austin Vanderford: All About Short Notice UFC Signing appeared first on EssentiallySports.