Paige VanZant is All Elite.
The former UFC and current Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star signed her AEW contract during the main event segment of tonight's Dynamite, igniting a feud with Tay Conti in the process.
As Conti seconded Sammy Guevara in the TNT Championship match main event, VanZant jumped the railing and attacked Conti, throwing her into the ring steps. As the distraction unfolded, Scorpio Sky pinned Guevara to win the TNT title. VanZant then signed her contract on top of Conti.
VanZant made her AEW debut in September 2021, aligning with Dan Lambert's American Top Team stable. She has since made sporadic appearances for the company.
AEW president Tony Khan tweeted last week that he had offered Lambert's client Sky a TNT title match this week in exchange for VanZant agreeing to sign with the company.
Khan tweeted the official announcement of VanZant's signing tonight.
VanZant's husband, Bellator MMA fighter Austin Vanderford, was also in the ring as VanZant signed her contract at tonight's Dynamite show, although he was never identified by name on the television commentary.
VanZant, 27, fought for UFC from 2014 to 2020. She has a career 8-5 record in MMA, with a 5-4 record in UFC. VanZant's UFC deal expired in July 2020. She signed a four-fight deal with BKFC in August 2020, and has since gone 0-2 in the promotion, losing both fights by decision.
VanZant gained a measure of mainstream notoriety with her 2016 appearances on the Dancing with the Stars reality competition, where she placed second.
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