Paige VanZant doesn’t plan on being goaded into a bout with rising women’s flyweight Maycee Barber.
It’s clear that Barber has been trying to get a fight with VanZant. In her pursuit, Barber has made things personal with “12 Gauge.” VanZant accused Barber of messaging her husband, Austin Vanderford, in an effort to get the bout. This has rubbed VanZant the wrong way and now she doesn’t even want to entertain the match-up.
VanZant Shuts The Door On Bout With Barber
In a new Instagram post, VanZant responded to Barber’s more recent verbal jabs by not mentioning her name at all.
“Lesson of the day: RESPECT
One of the first lessons we learn in martial arts is respect.
I respect those who have dedicated themselves to this profession and given it their everything to achieve greatness through showcasing their skill.
I respect every female fighter tagged in this post. With that said, it would be an honor to share the cage with any of you ladies at 115 or 125.
If any of you are interested, let [UFC] & [Mick Maynard] know because I’m healthy and ready to get back in there.”
MMAFighting.com‘s Damon Martin reached out to VanZant’s manager, Kyle Stoltz, who confirmed that VanZant has no plans to accept a bout with Barber.
“We will fight anyone but Maycee at 115 or 125,” VanZant’s manager Kyle Stoltz told MMA Fighting on Wednesday. “The disrespect shown by Maycee to us has made us not interested in fighting her. We know what fighting Paige does to someone’s career and we don’t want to give that to Maycee for being disrespectful.”