A former UFC prospect and now Power Slap star, Paige VanZant has been forced to withdraw from a title match due to a severe injury.
VanZant wrote in an Instagram post that a neck injury is forcing her to drop out of the event scheduled for June 27 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas.< >“My upcoming Power Slap match for the title is postponed,” VanZant said. “Unfortunately, I had to pull out. I have a pretty severe neck injury. If it was not such a big deal, I definitely would still compete, especially because I was just really excited. It’s such a big deal and I was so excited for Power Slap to give me the opportunity to fight for a title.
“I have what is called a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma. It actually didn’t come from training. It is a one in a million, freak, crazy injury that happened in my neck.”
A spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is a disorder that “manifests from blood accumulating in the epidural space, compressing the spinal cord and leading to acute neurological deficits.”
Paige VanZant (former AEW/UFC star, friend of Mandy Rose) is undefeated in #PowerSlap
She is a beast 🔥 but I can’t believe this is legal 😂 pic.twitter.com/3APJnSylHf
— Female Locker Room (@femalelroom) June 29, 2024
“Basically, the neurosurgeon at this point—one—is surprised that I don’t have any neurological issues because it’s extremely serious. A lot of times people become paralyzed, start losing function of their arms and legs pretty quickly. I don’t have that, which is a really good sign.”
“The next steps, they ordered me a bunch more tests,” VanZant said. “We have to figure out why this happened. Basically, I have a bleed in my spine. We have to figure out where it came from and why this happened, because it is extremely rare and typically only happens in high trauma situations like car accidents—and obviously, I haven’t been in a car accident, especially recently. And I haven’t been sparring. I haven’t been going live. I’ve strictly been getting ready for Power Slap. So for this to happen, the neurosurgeons want to understand why.”
“If it does get bigger, there is a chance I will be paralyzed. That’s just a reality I’ve come to accept,” VanZant said. “I feel really good. I’m in good spirits. It’s concerning and I’m being very careful, and obviously I pulled out for a reason.
“But the way I feel right now, I have a feeling this was just a freak thing. My body’s going to reabsorb the bleed, it’s not going to get worse, and I’m going to continue on with my career.”
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