“I want to work my way to the top and be the UFC’s first Atomweight Champion,” – Lindsey ‘Damsel’ Van Zandt

By:  Thomas Vickers (MMA – Journalist)

(QUEEN MMA MEDIA)

(Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – Lindsey ‘Damsel’ Van Zandt is set to fight Rachel ‘The Black Widow’ Sazoff on September 30, 2017 at Maverick MMA 3 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

With an amateur record of 3 – 3, Lindsey began experiencing difficulty finding fights. She was disappointed about bouts falling through.  “I felt ready.  My dream was to always become a professional fighter and the time felt right,” explained Van Zandt to Queen MMA Media when asked what made her decide to turn pro.

Van Zandt made her professional debut against Katie Saull in the King of the Cage ‘Regulator’ promotion in July of 2017 at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Saull hailed from Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada and entered the match with a 0 – 1 pro record.

Van Zandt controlled the contest from the beginning, executing quick take downs and subjecting the Canadian fighter to a relentless offensive assault.  Saull became immediately overwhelmed and was reduced to struggling for survival.  The first round was convincingly one sided as Van Zandt mauled Saull with an impressive ground game. In the second round, Van Zandt continued to unleash ruthless ground and pound, raining a thunder storm of elbows down from the top position.  Van Zandt’s brutal elbows ended the fight in round two with a serious cut that resulted in a stoppage from the cage side doctors.  Van Zandt was proclaimed the winner by way of TKO.  Regardless of the stoppage due to the cut, Saull was clearly a battered and defeated fighter.

Van Zandt’s pro debut performance was outstanding.  It was a strong indication of her talent and readiness to push towards the next level.

“I am proud of myself.  I have been dreaming of my first pro fight for a while.  I feel like it couldn’t have gone much better.  I really followed the game plan and got the finish,” explained Van Zandt to Queen MMA Media pertaining to her pro debut performance.

Lindsey’s second professional contest was scheduled for August 5, 2017 against (3 – 1) Bi ‘Killher Bee’ Nguyen, however the fight was cancelled due to Nguyen pulling out with a reported knee injury.

On September 30, 2017 at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Lindsey ‘Damsel’ Van Zandt will be stepping into the cage at Maverick MMA 3 for her second pro fight.  Her opponent will be Rachel ‘The Black Widow’ Sazoff, a durable fighter out of New Jersey.  Sazoff has considerable experience as a professional and will be a good test for the 1 – 0 Van Zandt.  Despite having a 1 – 8 professional record the twenty-seven year old Sazoff brings a hard fight with her into the cage.  She is a scrappy opponent who almost always goes the distance.  Sazoff represents the obstacle a new pro Atomweight like Van Zandt must hurdle to prove they belong at the professional level.

A win over Sazoff is necessary if Van Zandt’s young pro career wants to continue moving in a forward direction.  Rachel Sazoff is an opportunity for Van Zandt to gain valuable experience as well as a critical challenge that will most likely set the course for her future as a pro.

Van Zandt has been training in mixed martial arts for eleven years.  She began with Tae Kwon Do and currently holds a second degree black belt.  Van Zandt’s skill set includes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, in which she holds a purple belt, as well as Muay Thai, wrestling, and a little boxing and judo.

Van Zandt is under the coaching and guidance of Brian McLaughlin and Karl Nemeth of Precision Mixed Martial Arts in Poughkeepsie, New York.  Lindsey considers Precision MMA her home gym, but receives additional training at Miller Brothers MMA in Sparta, New Jersey and Buxton’s Athletic Training Facility of Randolph, New Jersey. “For strength and conditioning I am with Kings of Fitness and the head trainers Kiel and Lauren King,” explained Van Zandt to Queen MMA Media.

“Yes, I plan to stay at Atomweight.  I feel strong here,” answered Van Zandt when asked by Queen MMA Media if she planed on staying in the Atomweight class as a professional.

The twenty-four year old Van Zandt is an exciting and talented new pro Atomweight who has set her sights on becoming the UFC’s first Atomweight champion.  It is hard to foresee if Van Zandt will achieve such a lofty quest, however it is easy to realize her recent addition into the pro Atomweight fight game will only bring the quality of athletes to new heights.

“I am a very well rounded, technical Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai fighter.  I am a passionate, determined, persistent, and aggressive fighter that is always going for the finish,” – Lindsey ‘Damsel’ Van Zandt

(QUEEN MMA MEDIA)