Paige VanZant’s husband Austin Vanderford relishing ‘Mr. VanZant’ nickname

Bellator middleweight Austin Vanderford was one of the stars of Saturday night’s Bellator 225 card. He absolutely thrashed Joseph Creer with ground and pound and finished his opponent via second-round TKO due to doctor stoppage in what was the most dominant performance of his MMA career thus far. But despite being an undefeated fighter, he’s still mostly known because of his more famous wife, the UFC’s Paige VanZant.

Fans have joked on social media about Vanderford, referring to him as “Mr. VanZant.” Instead of getting upset at the fans who make the joke, Vanderford took it in stride. In a post-fight social media post celebrating his win, Vanderford said he’s cool with the nickname that fans have bestowed on him.

“Mr. Vanderford…. but you can call me Mr. Vanzant if you’d like….”

With the win over Creer, Vanderford improved to a perfect 8-0 in his pro MMA career, including a 2-0 mark in Bellator with two stoppage wins. His signing is thus far looking like a very smart move by Bellator president Scott Coker and matchmaker Rich Chou.

Vanderford was on Dana White’s Contender Series last summer and picked up a second-round submission win over Angelo Trevino on the show. Despite finishing his fight in impressive fashion, for some reason White decided to pass on him. Bellator smartly picked Vanderford up as a free agent, and so far he’s looked great with two wins in his new digs.

As for his wife, Paige VanZant has one more fight on her UFC contract and intends to hit free agency following it. Considering how much successful her husband is having in Bellator, you have to expect Coker to call VanZant up in free agency and see if Bellator can bring her on board to be with her husband in Bellator.

How much potential do you think Austin “Mr. VanZant” Vanderford has in Bellator?