What were you doing at 18? Paige VanZant she appeared in the ring INVICTA

Paige VanZant, the 18-year-old strawweight fighter, is set to make her highly-anticipated return to the octagon on August 27 at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

This comes after her impressive second-place finish on “Dancing With The Stars.” VanZant will be facing off against “The Ultimate Fighter 20” competitor Bec Rawlings, who has won back-to-back UFC fights.

VanZant, with a record of 6-2 MMA and 3-1 UFC, had a rapid rise to stardom in the past year. She earned her fourth straight victory by submitting Alex Chambers at UFC 191.

However, she faced a setback in December when she succumbed to a fifth-round rear-naked choke from “TUF 20” finalist Rose Namajunas in the UFC Fight Night 80 main event.

Undeterred, VanZant turned her attention to “DWTS,” where she wowed audiences with incredible performances en route to being named this season’s runner-up.

With her fan base continuing to grow, VanZant hopes to get back on the winning track in MMA by defeating Rawlings in August.

Rawlings, with a record of 7-4 MMA and 2-1 UFC, was once one of the sport’s most popular female strawweights. She signed with the UFC in 2014 and took part in “TUF 20,” but was eliminated early in the competition.

Since then, Rawlings has bounced back with a pair of victories inside the octagon, including a razor-thin verdict over Seo Hee Ham at UFC Fight Night 85 in March. She now plans to hand VanZant her second consecutive defeat.

In other news, Invicta Fighting Championships heads home to Missouri for its next all-female fight card on July 29. Invicta FC 18, which takes place at the historic Kansas City Scottish Rite Temple, is headlined by a strawweight contender’s bout between undefeated Mexican standout Alexa Grasso (7-0) and recent “TUF 23” hopeful Jodie Esquibel (5-1).

Grasso, known for her technical striking skills, has twice been slated to compete for the Invicta FC strawweight title but has been sidelined due to injuries. Esquibel, on the other hand, is coming off of a dominant decision win at Invicta FC 9 and seeks a fresh start in her long-awaited return.

The co-main event at Invicta FC 18 pits Irene Aldana (6-2) against undefeated Brazilian finisher Taila Santos (13-0) in a bantamweight title eliminator.

Aldana, who had a title shot last July but was ultimately stopped by champion Tonya Evinger at Invicta FC 13, returned to her winning ways by destroying Jessamyn Duke in a one-sided fight. Her opponent, Santos, has developed a reputation as one of Brazil’s top rising stars.

The event also features intriguing matchups including a flyweight bout between Polish prospect Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (7-0) and highly-touted Brazilian Claudia Rey (6-0), as well as a bantamweight clash between grappling specialist Cindy Dandois (6-2) and Jessamyn Duke (3-4).

At featherweight, rising star Megan Anderson (6-2) hopes to continue her string of impressive stoppage wins when she takes on Peggy Morgan (4-3). Rounding out the card, Tessa Simpson (4-1) makes her Invicta FC debut against Simona Soukupova (5-3-1) in an atomweight showdown.

Manjit Kolekar (9-0), Invicta FC’s first female fighter from India, takes on veteran Lynn Alvarez (6-3) at strawweight. Aspen Ladd (3-0) puts her undefeated record on the line against Invicta FC newcomer Jessica Hoy (1-0) at bantamweight, and Sijara Eubanks (1-1) faces Amberlynn Orr (11-1 amateur) in the card opener.

With these exciting matchups on the horizon for both UFC on FOX 21 and Invicta FC 18, fans can look forward to a thrilling month of women’s MMA action. Both events promise to showcase the talent and skill of some of the most promising female fighters in the sport today.