UFC flyweight Paige VanZant will undergo a second surgery on her broken right arm next month, after an initial surgery earlier this year “failed.”
VanZant, 24, revealed the plan via social media on Tuesday. She suffered the injury during her last fight, a decision loss to Jessica Rose-Clark in January, and originally wanted to return before the end of 2018.
The delay obviously places that timeframe in jeopardy.
“I unfortunately and sadly have to inform all of my fans who have been standing by my side that my arm surgery has failed,” VanZant said. “For whatever reason, my bone is still totally broken in my arm and shows no sign of healing or progression.
“All that we can guess is that I went back to training too quickly and didn’t give my arm the proper time to heal without any motion.”
VanZant’s original surgery included the insertion of a plate and seven screws into her arm. She described a “more serious surgery” in her Instagram post.
“I will be going in for another more serious surgery next month where they will take bone fragments from my hip to fill the break and put another bigger plate in.
“I will take the time off to heal this go around. I will be back to the UFC and I will fight many more fights in the future.”
VanZant (7-4) is one of the more popular female athletes on the UFC’s roster, but is just 1-3 in her last four fights.
In an interview with ESPN last month, VanZant said she remains completely committed to her MMA career. She recently moved up to the 125-pound weight class, after several difficult weight cuts to 115.
VanZant trains out of Portland, Oregon. Her fiance, Austin Vanderford, recently booked a fight on the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series on July 17.