Paige VanZant KO of Bec Rawlings dubbed ‘Kick the Can’

On Saturday night, UFC strawweight contender Paige VanZant successfully returned to the Octagon after the first loss of her UFC career and a stint on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

VanZant faced off against Australia’s Bec Rawlings at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver.

Out of the gate, VanZant was showing off some flashy, flying attacks that were unable to do any damage. Rawlings was actually controlling the fight in Round 1 and VanZant’s corner told her to settle down with the flying strikes.

However, VanZant came out and just 17 seconds into the second round this happened:

And “Kick the Can” was born.

“We call it a ‘kick the can,’ the one I knocked her out with,” VanZant said following the fight. “I’ve done that a few times in training camp. I was like, I might as well go out there and use everything in my arsenal.

“These are things that I’ve kind of always been capable of, but I never actually used. I heard him say, ‘left kick, left kick, left kick,’ and he kept telling me it’s open and I finally decided it’s open and I went for it.”

Team Alpha Male may go with “Kick the Can,” but we prefer the “Pantera Kick.”

The flashy knockout earned VanZant a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Who should she face next? The options are limitless and it should be exciting to see how VanZant continues to evolve her game with age and experience.

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Anthony Pettis eyeing shot at featherweight title
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