PAIGE VANZANT aims for a June return to the octagon after fracturing her arm for the third time.
Only this January did VanZant return to action after a year sidelined through a broken arm, when she defeated Rachael Ostovich on the Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw undercard.
However, the 24-year-old flyweight found herself in familiar territory earlier this month as she fractured her arm in training – calling a halt to the winning momentum earned earlier in the year.
Speaking to SunSport, VanZant revealed she targets a summer UFC return, and described the “frustrating” setback.
There’s nothing I can do about it, my arm is just weak from the first time I broke it.
VanZant said: “I just re-fractured my arm so it’s definitely not as bad as it could be. It’s still a fracture that would require anybody to take time off with a cast on and time to heel.
“Thankfully I don’t have to have surgery but it does mean going four-six weeks to let the bone heel so I’m not able to use my arm till then.
“I was training in a typical sparring session and I threw an elbow that landed in the right part of my forearm that means it would crack.
“It’s frustrating because I’ve had two surgeries on it already and now I’ve broken it again – and there’s nothing I can do about it, my arm is just weak from the first time I broke it.
“I planned on fighting in May before I broke my arm, but now I’m targeting for June – I’m still hopeful I’ll fight in the summer and have a really successful return.”
LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE
Now facing the adversity of more time spent out of the cage through an arm fracture, VanZant is determined to use her past experiences of recovering from injury.
The flyweight contender come model revealed plans to “stay super active in the gym” – despite not being able to throw punches or elbows.
She said: “For me I’ve been here, I’ve done this already I just need to be patent and I know I’ll be able to fight again soon.
“With a plate in my arm I’ll forever have a high risk of re-fracturing my arm due to the hardware in there and I’ll just have to live with that.
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“I’ve stayed in really good shape, it’s not like this is the first time I’ve done this, I had two surgeries last year and returned with a win, and this will be a lot shorter break.
“I’m going to stay super active in the gym so once my arm is ready to throw punches I can get back into it straight away.
“I’m an experienced fighter at this stage, so know taking a break from live action and just breaking things down is really good for me.”
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