Paige VanZant (Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Paige VanZant’s Power Slap debut was victorious on Friday night as the former UFC fighter, boxer and stripper defeated Christine Wolmarans by unanimous decision.
VanZant scored a pair of knockdowns en route to the win.
Check out all three VanZant slaps. Two resulted in Wolmarans being forced to kneel, which counts as a legal knockdown in the Power Slap, or touching the podium to prevent herself from falling.
In the video below, you can see one of the three slaps VanZant received. None of that had much of an effect on the 30-year-old.
VanZant is now the first mildly known combat sports athlete to switch to the Power Slap. UFC and Power Slap CEO Dana White believes VanZant is just the first in a line of combat athletes to follow her lead.
When asked why she chose this route, VanZant said, “Because I’m a woman who does whatever #### I want, and right now, I want to Power Slap.”
VanZant also made it clear that she wants to return to boxing before the end of the year, but has not commented on a desire to compete as a mixed martial artist again. VanZant once looked like a potential superstar with the UFC.
She kicked it off with a win over Kailin Curran in November 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson. VanZant’s aggressive fighting style and movie star looks made her a fan favorite.
She defeated Curran via third round TKO to announce her presence in the UFC. The win earned her a performance bonus and a growing legion of fans. Following her debut, VanZant defeated Felice Herrig by unanimous decision in April 2015 and scored a submission victory over Alex Chambers via armbar later in the year.
As the level of competition escalated, things got tougher for VanZant. She lost her next fight against future Hall-of-Famer Rose Namajunas in December 2015.
Although she rebounded with that spectacular head KO victory over Bec Rawlings in August 2016, Van Zant would lose three of her last four UFC fights before leaving the organization in 2020.
VanZant took over the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2020 and has established herself as a successful content creator on OnlyFans to round out a diverse portfolio and multiple earning platforms.
We’ll see if VanZant returns to the Power Slap stage or tries a different combat sport in her next endeavor.
Wolmarans career in Power Slap was undoubtedly special. She was part of the first women’s Power Slap event, in which she was knocked out by one of the sport’s current stars, Sheena Bathory.
Now Wolmarans is the woman who stepped up to take the loss from VanZant in her Power Slap debut. While many sports fans may remember Wolmarans name, it will be for at least two poignant reasons.
Details for the next Power Slap event have not been shared, but you can follow the action, the athletes and even apply to be a slapper at promotion website.
