There are much easier ways to make money than getting punched and kicked in the face, Paige VanZant has learned.
And that’s something that Paige VanZant has learned as she takes a step back from combat sports, saying recently that fighting now is “just a hobby.”
The former UFC star competed in the world’s biggest MMA circuit from 2013-2020 and recently has appeared in All Elite Wrestling and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, but has found much more success as a model on social media and especially on OnlyFans.
“Fighting, I have to understand now, is just a hobby. It’s my part-time job,” she told TMZ. “I have to realize that OnlyFans is what’s providing everything for me.
“There’s a lot of things I would do to provide and support for my family,” she added. “I would kill for my family. This is much less than that.”
With more than five million followers across her social media accounts, VanZant has attracted quite a fanbase.
Last year, VanZant made waves on social media when she revealed that she makes more money in a day on OnlyFans than she did in her entire UFC career.
The self-proclaimed “Queen of OnlyFans” says that she made more money in 24 hours through the provocative website than she did her entire fighting career. And that’s big news considering how big of a push she received from UFC president Dana White.
Speaking with Barstool Sports’ Glenny Balls on the Only Stans podcast, VanZant said that she has earned a “life-changing” amount of money from posting saucy snaps on the subscription-based platform.
“OnlyFans has definitely been my largest source of income, I would say combined, in my fighting career,” she said.
“I think I made more money in 24 hours on OnlyFans than I had in my entire fighting career. Combined. Yeah.”
“I would say when I made the switch to — there’s a lot of stuff I’ve done in my career. I’ve been really fortunate in my career,” the 30-year-old added.
“Even outside of the UFC and out of fighting has been pretty successful. I’ve worked pretty hard in other industries and trying to cross over, I guess (to) a more mainstream personality.”
VanZant says she started her own website where she shared toned-down content compared to OnlyFans to “test it out.”
“I did extremely well. It was life-changing money. I did that for about two years,” she said before noting that influx is what persuaded her to join OnlyFans.
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“My content started very PG, I was doing everything like Instagram, plus a little bit extra,” she added.
Now, she has no problem putting out X-rated content, even inviting her husband Austin Vanderford, an MMA fighter himself, to join.
While her fighting career has taken a backseat, she is set to debut on Dana White’s Power Slap series later this week.
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“I just signed a contract and whether motherf***ers like it or not, I am doing Power Slap,” she said on her podcast. “I just signed a contract with Power Slap because, you know what? I’m f***ing Paige VanZant. I was in the UFC, bareknuckle boxing, boxing. Now, I’m doing Power Slap.
“I’m going to do literally everything and piss everybody off.”