February 6, 2025 • 10 mins
Paige VanZant and Hannah Goldy join The A-Team from Media Row in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. They joined Adam and Adam to promote their new fight league- Global Fight League. Paige and Hannah talk what is different about the GFL from other organizations. They also talk about what it's like to get punched for a living.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is the eight team Sports Talk seven ninety. Adam
Wexler over there, Adam Clanton right here, and we are
joined by a couple of guests actually, as a radio
row is going on down in New Orleans. Gordy is there,
and we are going to be joined right now by probably.
I mean, this has got to be one of the
most unique interviews we've ever done.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I think we're about to be joined by the greatest
sports team in the history of Miami Professional sports.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Well, yeah, that's given, right, Paige van Zant and Hannah
Goldie on with us right now, ladies, How are you
guys doing today?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
We're doing great. We just flew in for all of
this incredible chaos and we're here to do interviews and
talk about our new fights coming up. I'm super excited.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
That's the best word for it, right because where you're
sitting right now, I'm not there, but I already know
what it looks like. It's just people everywhere. It looks
like somebody kicked an ant hill, right.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It does, yes, But it's all the best people, right,
everybody in media here to just promote sports.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Yeah, a good looking people, two or.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Two of them obviously, as everybody probably knows and is aware,
but let's just let's start with Paige. You know, there's
you know when news comes out about you and people
are like, wait a second, what she's back? Is that
kind of the the reaction that you felt like you got,
like I'm going back to MMA? People are saying, she's
going back to the MMA? Or was this like expected
(01:21):
for you? Is this how you thought it would all
go down when you had made that announcement?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So for me, I kind of always wanted to go
back into MMA. That's my true my blood, what I
thrive and really am passionate about. I took a little hiatus,
of course, I did pro wrestling, power slot bear knockle boxing,
and I just felt like it would needed. I needed
the right opportunity to come back to MMA, and I
needed to be really excited about the promotion. And all
of a sudden, here comes GFL and they came knocking
(01:48):
on the door and it really was a very very
short conversation for them to convince me to jump back
into MMA, and I couldn't be more excited.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
GFL.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
For those who don't know Global Fight League, You're you're
talking about the opportunity needed to be right, you're making
it sound like the conversation what like, Oh hey, Paige,
we'd like to talk to you about I'm in I
want to do it.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Why was this the right fit for you?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So I was excited about the organization. There's certain things
that they're doing that no other organization is doing. Like
they're doing a fifty to fifty rev share with the athletes,
They have insurance for us. They're really making it basically
like other sports organizations, but for fighters, and that's something
we've never seen before in the fight world. And this
to compare for you know, the football fans out there,
(02:31):
it's going to be like an NFL season. So we're
actually gonna have teams where you can invest and follow
a team and hopefully the team at the end of
the day, the team of Miami is going to come
out on top.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Team Miami, Team New York, Team London, Team Dubai, sal Polo,
and Team LA. So you're part of a team, Paige,
You and Hannah, Why why are you wanting people to
get behind Team Miami.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
What do you have to offer? Why are you all
gonna end up on top?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Of course, we're Team Miami. So I think people should
tune in to watch us. I think that's a pretty
easy yeah. But beyond that, I just hope people get
excited about the organization. You know, they're really treating athletes
extremely fairly. They're they're taking us in and doing what
you see all these other sports leagues like have. I mean,
from what I understand, like the NFL, it's a fifty
to fifty RAVP share for the athletes, and we're gonna
(03:16):
be taking care of outside of just competition season. It's
gonna be uh an opportunity for us to feel taken
care of as far as like you know, insurance and
revshare and think about retirement. It's something that nobody else
is doing. And uh for Team Miami. And I mean,
I think you just you got to look at the
roster and just see how many incredible talented fighters there are.
(03:36):
And so many fighters you've seen or we're fans of
in the past are now resurging because they're so excited
about this GFL truly.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Junior Dos Santos, Tiago Santos part of Team Miami as well.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
It's good roster, very good roster.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
We're talking to Page van Zant, We're talking to Hannah
Goldie here on Sports Talk seven to ninety the Global
Fight League the startup, if you will, But you know,
you kind of you said that about taking care of
the fighters and how they're treated, and it just seems like,
you know, I think maybe just the casual fan would
would think, well, yeah, that's what leagues are supposed to do.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
That's not always how it goes.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And you guys have both you've had experience with different organizations.
How much or how important was that, especially at this
stage of both of your careers.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Honestly, for me, I think it just as fighting is
really growing as a popularized sport. You know, football has
been around for so long and gain this momentum, it
really just takes one person to change it. Like in
boxing now you have the Muhammad Ali cause where people
managers aren't able to completely rob their fighters. It really
took an organization to come in and change the rules
(04:42):
and change the game. And that's what we're going to see.
But I think it's just time. Time needed to grow,
and there needed to be a large fan base behind
fighters and behind fighting for a company to be able
to do this.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
Yeah, it's like the evolution of the sport. You know,
I think like you could probably agree. Ten twelve years
ago when we started, like when I was an amateur,
the sport was completely different. You know, it has grown
immensely and it's just really exciting that we have the
GFL now. You know, I feel just confident moving forward.
I'm really excited for the next step to.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Them MMA slap fights.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Like.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
I mean this in the nicest way possible, because I
asked this of pretty much every fighter that I've ever interviewed.
You kind of have to have a screw loose to
do this kind of stuff, right.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
I like expand on that though, like, how do you
even just.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Sign all right, I'm gonna wake up the day and
I'm gonna just fight somebody basically to the death, even
though it's not.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Really you know, I kind of fell into fighting my
original story. I was a dancer and cheerleader in high
school and founded jim Ken Shamrock, a legend in the game,
put me in wing and told me if I stay
at this and if I really commit, then I have
a future in fighting. And one thing led to another
all of a sudden, I was nineteen, signed the UFC
twenty years old, made my debut and power slap. That
(05:54):
was another funny one. Uh you know, I watching power Slap,
I said, I will never do that. Ever, it seems insane,
like crazy. I still say that to her. She loves it.
But then then I get a phone call and I'm like, oh,
you know what, as that sounds fun, let me give
it one try. Let me just do one and see
what happens. Won it. It was incredible. I was having
(06:15):
the best time. And the difference between power slap is
you know, the the nerves are. Of course, there's like
nerves slap her three times hopefully less and end it early.
But that's the worst it's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Okay, Yeah, what's in an.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
M A fight?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Right?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
There's so many different barriers. Yeah, and MMA fights, there's
so many different variables. You know. You can you know,
break your knee or your arm or like like.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Literally walking out to the cage. I've literally been been
at a fight and a fighter got injured backstage warming up,
you know, I guess.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So this might seem like a dumb question on the surface,
but I really I am asking this legit. What's worse
getting punched in the face or slapped in the face.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
So difference.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
When there is a complete difference, I will like slapping
stings worse, but there's nothing like getting hit in bare
knuckle boxing. Like when I did bare knuckle boxing, getting
hit with a bare fist is like everything is easy
compared to that, Every single punch feels like you're getting
cut open.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
I was gonna say, my seven year old son hit
me bare knuckle a couple of weeks ago, and I
was like, I'm good, Yeah, yeah, all.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Right, this is also gonna be ridiculous, but I'm gonna
say anyways, I hate the fact that either of you
get hit in the face because that's like, to me,
it's like taking a sledgehammer to a Ferrari. You're both
too beautiful to do something like that. Come on, Hey,
I think.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
We're too beautiful, not too Yeah, exactly like you said,
it takes a crazy person and we got to get
our crazy streak out.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Absolutely, we're not punching you in the face.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Well, you're more than welcome to. I was speaking for him,
not for me. Of course, I would never be evolved
in such a thing. You're there on media roads. Obviously,
as we mentioned, the onset a little bit of control.
I have no doubt people will be stopping you so
(08:04):
they can take pictures with you. Guys, who would you
see where you would say, I've got to get a
picture with him, or I want to go talk to
this person that might be wandering around here in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
So so funny, so nobody I expected to see. But
I'm walking in and all of a sudden i hear
someone say, hey, Paige, and it was Doug Flutie, and
of course fan of his back in the day, but
him and I were on Dancing with the Stars together,
so it was like a blast from the past that
was eight years ago. Me and him were on Dancing
with the Stars at the same time, same season. So
(08:35):
I would say, my like, my expectations have been met.
It was so cool to run into an old friend.
But I actually bust cards and we like reopen cards
are big sports card families. So if I don't get
some autos and pictures while I'm here, I'm gonna go
home and be in a lot of trouble. Who is
being I need to take pictures with it to sell me. Yeah,
I'll tell you who to take pictures with real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
As far as the Dancing with the Stars, because I'm
always like fascinated by the rosters they come out with.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
There's an eclectic mix.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
What was the I guess what was the most interesting
person besides Doug that you participated in that competition?
Speaker 4 (09:08):
That was that was there at the time?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Oh? Absolutely, Antonio Brown. That was Me and him did
a dance together. And I had heard his partner. Not
to spill any like drama, it's really not, but I
had there was a rumor that he was showing up
late every day and him and I got partnered up
to do a dance together, and I walked up to
him and I was like, Hey, you're not going to
(09:30):
waste my time. You're showing up on time every single day.
And he did. He was early every day. So it
was an incredible experience. So if no one has seen
my dance with Antonio Brown, it was I think legendary.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
That's because he knew you were going to slap him
if you didn't show up on time.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
I thought, yes, I was gonna say.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
She didn't even have to slap him to get him
to show up on No.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I did not.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Well, you guys, you guys have been great. We really
appreciate you guys taking out the time. I know it's
a busy day. I know it's kind of a crazy
atmosphere there, especially since we're back here in Houston.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
You guys are having all the fun.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Take care of Gordy when we get off there with
you guys, and uh and good luck in this venture.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Thank you so much. Appreciate you guys.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Good stuff right there, Paige van Zandt and Hannah Goldie
It is the eight team Sports Talk seven ninety. Adam
Wexler over there, Adam Clanton right here, and we are
joined by a couple of guests actually, as a radio
row is going on down in New Orleans. Gordy is there,
and we are going to be joined right now by probably.
I mean, this has got to be one of the
most unique interviews we've ever done.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I think we're about to be joined by the greatest
sports team in the history of Miami Professional sports.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Well, yeah, that's given, right, Paige van Zant and Hannah
Goldie on with us right now, ladies, How are you
guys doing today?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
We're doing great. We just flew in for all of
this incredible chaos and we're here to do interviews and
talk about our new fights coming up. I'm super excited.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
That's the best word for it, right because where you're
sitting right now, I'm not there, but I already know
what it looks like. It's just people everywhere. It looks
like somebody kicked an ant hill, right.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
It does, yes, But it's all the best people, right,
everybody in media here to just promote sports.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Yeah, a good looking people, two or.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Two of them obviously, as everybody probably knows and is aware,
but let's just let's start with Paige. You know, there's
you know when news comes out about you and people
are like, wait a second, what she's back? Is that
kind of the the reaction that you felt like you got,
like I'm going back to MMA? People are saying, she's
going back to the MMA? Or was this like expected
(01:21):
for you? Is this how you thought it would all
go down when you had made that announcement?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So for me, I kind of always wanted to go
back into MMA. That's my true my blood, what I
thrive and really am passionate about. I took a little hiatus,
of course, I did pro wrestling, power slot bear knockle boxing,
and I just felt like it would needed. I needed
the right opportunity to come back to MMA, and I
needed to be really excited about the promotion. And all
of a sudden, here comes GFL and they came knocking
(01:48):
on the door and it really was a very very
short conversation for them to convince me to jump back
into MMA, and I couldn't be more excited.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
GFL.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
For those who don't know Global Fight League, You're you're
talking about the opportunity needed to be right, you're making
it sound like the conversation what like, Oh hey, Paige,
we'd like to talk to you about I'm in I
want to do it.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Why was this the right fit for you?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So I was excited about the organization. There's certain things
that they're doing that no other organization is doing. Like
they're doing a fifty to fifty rev share with the athletes,
They have insurance for us. They're really making it basically
like other sports organizations, but for fighters, and that's something
we've never seen before in the fight world. And this
to compare for you know, the football fans out there,
(02:31):
it's going to be like an NFL season. So we're
actually gonna have teams where you can invest and follow
a team and hopefully the team at the end of
the day, the team of Miami is going to come
out on top.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Team Miami, Team New York, Team London, Team Dubai, sal Polo,
and Team LA. So you're part of a team, Paige,
You and Hannah, Why why are you wanting people to
get behind Team Miami.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
What do you have to offer? Why are you all
gonna end up on top?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Of course, we're Team Miami. So I think people should
tune in to watch us. I think that's a pretty
easy yeah. But beyond that, I just hope people get
excited about the organization. You know, they're really treating athletes
extremely fairly. They're they're taking us in and doing what
you see all these other sports leagues like have. I mean,
from what I understand, like the NFL, it's a fifty
to fifty RAVP share for the athletes, and we're gonna
(03:16):
be taking care of outside of just competition season. It's
gonna be uh an opportunity for us to feel taken
care of as far as like you know, insurance and
revshare and think about retirement. It's something that nobody else
is doing. And uh for Team Miami. And I mean,
I think you just you got to look at the
roster and just see how many incredible talented fighters there are.
(03:36):
And so many fighters you've seen or we're fans of
in the past are now resurging because they're so excited
about this GFL truly.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Junior Dos Santos, Tiago Santos part of Team Miami as well.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
It's good roster, very good roster.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
We're talking to Page van Zant, We're talking to Hannah
Goldie here on Sports Talk seven to ninety the Global
Fight League the startup, if you will, But you know,
you kind of you said that about taking care of
the fighters and how they're treated, and it just seems like,
you know, I think maybe just the casual fan would
would think, well, yeah, that's what leagues are supposed to do.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
That's not always how it goes.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And you guys have both you've had experience with different organizations.
How much or how important was that, especially at this
stage of both of your careers.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Honestly, for me, I think it just as fighting is
really growing as a popularized sport. You know, football has
been around for so long and gain this momentum, it
really just takes one person to change it. Like in
boxing now you have the Muhammad Ali cause where people
managers aren't able to completely rob their fighters. It really
took an organization to come in and change the rules
(04:42):
and change the game. And that's what we're going to see.
But I think it's just time. Time needed to grow,
and there needed to be a large fan base behind
fighters and behind fighting for a company to be able
to do this.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
Yeah, it's like the evolution of the sport. You know,
I think like you could probably agree. Ten twelve years
ago when we started, like when I was an amateur,
the sport was completely different. You know, it has grown
immensely and it's just really exciting that we have the
GFL now. You know, I feel just confident moving forward.
I'm really excited for the next step to.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Them MMA slap fights.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Like.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
I mean this in the nicest way possible, because I
asked this of pretty much every fighter that I've ever interviewed.
You kind of have to have a screw loose to
do this kind of stuff, right.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
I like expand on that though, like, how do you
even just.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Sign all right, I'm gonna wake up the day and
I'm gonna just fight somebody basically to the death, even
though it's not.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Really you know, I kind of fell into fighting my
original story. I was a dancer and cheerleader in high
school and founded jim Ken Shamrock, a legend in the game,
put me in wing and told me if I stay
at this and if I really commit, then I have
a future in fighting. And one thing led to another
all of a sudden, I was nineteen, signed the UFC
twenty years old, made my debut and power slap. That
(05:54):
was another funny one. Uh you know, I watching power Slap,
I said, I will never do that. Ever, it seems insane,
like crazy. I still say that to her. She loves it.
But then then I get a phone call and I'm like, oh,
you know what, as that sounds fun, let me give
it one try. Let me just do one and see
what happens. Won it. It was incredible. I was having
(06:15):
the best time. And the difference between power slap is
you know, the the nerves are. Of course, there's like
nerves slap her three times hopefully less and end it early.
But that's the worst it's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Okay, Yeah, what's in an.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
M A fight?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Right?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
There's so many different barriers. Yeah, and MMA fights, there's
so many different variables. You know. You can you know,
break your knee or your arm or like like.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
Literally walking out to the cage. I've literally been been
at a fight and a fighter got injured backstage warming up,
you know, I guess.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So this might seem like a dumb question on the surface,
but I really I am asking this legit. What's worse
getting punched in the face or slapped in the face.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
So difference.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
When there is a complete difference, I will like slapping
stings worse, but there's nothing like getting hit in bare
knuckle boxing. Like when I did bare knuckle boxing, getting
hit with a bare fist is like everything is easy
compared to that, Every single punch feels like you're getting
cut open.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
I was gonna say, my seven year old son hit
me bare knuckle a couple of weeks ago, and I
was like, I'm good, Yeah, yeah, all.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Right, this is also gonna be ridiculous, but I'm gonna
say anyways, I hate the fact that either of you
get hit in the face because that's like, to me,
it's like taking a sledgehammer to a Ferrari. You're both
too beautiful to do something like that. Come on, Hey,
I think.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
We're too beautiful, not too Yeah, exactly like you said,
it takes a crazy person and we got to get
our crazy streak out.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Absolutely, we're not punching you in the face.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Well, you're more than welcome to. I was speaking for him,
not for me. Of course, I would never be evolved
in such a thing. You're there on media roads. Obviously,
as we mentioned, the onset a little bit of control.
I have no doubt people will be stopping you so
(08:04):
they can take pictures with you. Guys, who would you
see where you would say, I've got to get a
picture with him, or I want to go talk to
this person that might be wandering around here in New Orleans.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
So so funny, so nobody I expected to see. But
I'm walking in and all of a sudden i hear
someone say, hey, Paige, and it was Doug Flutie, and
of course fan of his back in the day, but
him and I were on Dancing with the Stars together,
so it was like a blast from the past that
was eight years ago. Me and him were on Dancing
with the Stars at the same time, same season. So
(08:35):
I would say, my like, my expectations have been met.
It was so cool to run into an old friend.
But I actually bust cards and we like reopen cards
are big sports card families. So if I don't get
some autos and pictures while I'm here, I'm gonna go
home and be in a lot of trouble. Who is
being I need to take pictures with it to sell me. Yeah,
I'll tell you who to take pictures with real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
As far as the Dancing with the Stars, because I'm
always like fascinated by the rosters they come out with.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
There's an eclectic mix.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
What was the I guess what was the most interesting
person besides Doug that you participated in that competition?
Speaker 4 (09:08):
That was that was there at the time?
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Oh? Absolutely, Antonio Brown. That was Me and him did
a dance together. And I had heard his partner. Not
to spill any like drama, it's really not, but I
had there was a rumor that he was showing up
late every day and him and I got partnered up
to do a dance together, and I walked up to
him and I was like, Hey, you're not going to
(09:30):
waste my time. You're showing up on time every single day.
And he did. He was early every day. So it
was an incredible experience. So if no one has seen
my dance with Antonio Brown, it was I think legendary.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
That's because he knew you were going to slap him
if you didn't show up on time.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
I thought, yes, I was gonna say.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
She didn't even have to slap him to get him
to show up on No.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I did not.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Well, you guys, you guys have been great. We really
appreciate you guys taking out the time. I know it's
a busy day. I know it's kind of a crazy
atmosphere there, especially since we're back here in Houston.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
You guys are having all the fun.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Take care of Gordy when we get off there with
you guys, and uh and good luck in this venture.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Thank you so much. Appreciate you guys.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Good stuff right there, Paige van Zandt and Hannah Goldie
Popular Podcasts
40s and Free Agents: NFL Draft Season
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.