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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=454569" target="_blank">
VanZant credits past as a dancer for her poise
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<p>Paige VanZant is three wins into the start of her UFC career and already one of the division's brightest stars. Speaking to reporters back stage at UFC 192, she credited her ability to be poised in the Octagon and her athleticism to her dance background:</p>
"I would have to give a lot of thanks to my dance teachers," she told reporters backstage in Houston at UFC 192.
"[My dance teachers] taught me how to compose myself. They taught me how to be in a professional setting. And, definitely my parents."
Life as a dancer required poise and no small amount of athleticism for VanZant, both of which come in handy as a MMA fighter. "They definitely make you have a sense of professionalism," she continued.
"I don't think people really understand how much of an athlete you have to be to do dance. I was in it competitively and did a little bit of professional dance, so I'd have to give them thanks."
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