Paige VanZant Willing To Fight Anybody…Except Maycee Barber

Paige VanZant hasn’t been seen in the Octagon for over a year due to a myriad of arm injuries that have required surgery.

It appears that PVZ is readying for an Octagon return and she recently called all every fighter at 115 and 125 pounds on Instagram, with one exception:

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Lesson of the day: RESPECT One of the first lessons we learn in martial arts is respect. I respect those who have dedicated themselves to this profession and given it their everything to achieve greatness through showcasing their skill. I respect every female fighter tagged in this post. With that said, it would be an honor to share the cage with any of you ladies at 115 or 125. If any of you are interested, let @UFC & @mickmaynard2 know because I’m healthy and ready to get back in there. @xiaonan_yan @jodieesquibel @syuri_official @cynthia.calvillo @spidermonkeyyoda @alexa_grasso @tatianasuarezufc @karolinakowalkiewicz @castironcasey @karatehottiemma @angieoverkill @alexchambersmma @teciatorres @randamarkos @emwhitmire115 @mackenziedern @zhangweilimma @livinhaufc @marinarodriguezmma @shockwavecifers @virnajandiroba @amandaufcribas @briannathebull @arianelipski @jessicammapro @joannajedrzejczyk @alexisdavismma @jessicaevileye @roxyfighter @laurenmurphymma @maryna_moroz_ufc @bulletvalentina @blondefighter @badmofo_jojo @veronicamacedomma @luciepudilovamma @champyoni @maramarvillarb @kalindrafaria @polianabotelho_ufc @wuyananufc_ @nadia187kassem @montana.delarosa @rachaelostovich @danger_dobson @savage_ufc @pedritaprvtufc @polyanaviana @princesstiger_mma @andreakgblee @meatballmolly @jennimaiaufc @antoninapantera @arianelipski @tailasantos.ufc @sabinamazo @viviaraujomma @mirandagranger @hannahgoldy @fightermizuki @dianabelbita @luanadread

A post shared by Paige Vanderford (PVZ) (@paigevanzant) on Oct 23, 2019 at 10:57am PDT

That lone exception is Maycee Barber, who has been calling out PVZ for the majority of her time in the UFC.

Kyle Stoltz, who represents VanZant, says that his client has no interest in fighting Barber.

“As of now, we have no interest in accepting a fight against Maycee,” Stoltz told ESPN.

VanZant has stated in the past that it is Barber’s alleged disrespectful behavior that has soured her against the potential bout.

Stoltz also says that PVZ is not afraid to fight Barber, it is just a matter of alleged disrespect from one fighter to another that has prevented an Octagon meeting.

“She’ll fight anybody, it has nothing to do with being afraid of fighting people,” Stoltz said. “She’s fought Rose Namajunas, a world champion and one of the highest ranked female fighters in the world. It’s about respect for her. We know what it means to fight Paige” class=”fightful-player player-48265″>Paige VanZant. It means you’re going to grow in popularity. We believe the UFC knows that. Maycee has not gone about this the right way, and Paige is not going to give that to her — in essence, giving her this star power that comes with fighting her.”

From a rankings perspective, it could be a bigger risk for Barber to fight PVZ than the other way around, as Barber is ranked #10 in the UFC Women’s Flyweight Division and VanZant sits at #15.