Over the weekend, Bloody Elbow’s Anton Tabuena got a chance to speak with longtime UFC bantamweight and Team Alpha Male cornerstone, Urijah Faber. In his interview, Tabuena asked Faber about training partner Paige VanZant and what he felt her chances were inside the Ultimate Fighter house for the upcoming season of TUF, coached by Anthony Pettis and Gil Melendez. Faber’s response came as a bit of a shock. Faber told Bloody Elbow that VanZant would not be participating on the show, due to her age. American seasons of TUF have required participants to be over 21 in the past. It appears the news was a shock to VanZant as well. As she took to twitter to issue a denial of Faber’s statements.
Rumors have started circulating that I will not be on TUF20. I have not been told this information and as of now will be on the show.
— Paige Vanzant (@PAIGEVANZANT) March 31, 2014
Often in such situations, fighters and managers can be in the dark as to the full spectrum of the UFC’s plans. So it is possible that either Faber or VanZant could be missing a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to her participation on TUF 20. Stay tuned as Bloody Elbow will be sure to keep you up to date with more information as it becomes available.
UPDATE: VanZant has since deleted the above Tweet from her account.
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