Paige VanZant admits she was 'outclassed in every way' in first UFC defeat after a one-sided beating by Rose Namajunas

A tearful Paige VanZant admitted she had been outclassed by Rose Namajunas after she suffered her first defeat in the UFC.

VanZant, 21, had been the poster girl of the strawweight division and victory in Las Vegas would have propelled her closer to a title shot.

But instead she was beaten up for four rounds before finally submitting to a rear naked choke in the final session.

Paige VanZant (left) has admitted she was 'outclassed in every way' in her first UFC defeat

Strawweight title hopeful VanZant (left) was beaten by Rose Namajunas in Las Vegas at UFC Fight Night 80

Namajunas set about VanZant from the off as she looked for the opportunity to finish her opponent

'I got outclassed in every way so I [need to] get back with my team and work on my game plan and my technique,' she said. 'I'm sad but I'm fine. I guess when I got hit I got rocked pretty bad.

'I'm new and I need to get my technique better.

'There was no pressure, I'm just new and I've got a lot to learn. You can't just be aggressive to win fights. I feel good, I got a little cut but other than that I feel great athletically; I just wasn't prepared for that fight.'

UFC president Dana White believes VanZant will learn from the defeat.

'This is the win-lose business, this is what these guys do,' he said. 'They go in and take fights.

'Paige is aggressive, she's a competitor and if you doubted it, she showed it tonight. There was no quit in her. I told her she'll learn more from this loss than from all her wins.'

Namajunas looked to have done enough to earn a submission victory on several occasions only for VanZant to wriggle her way free.

VanZant lands a kick in the stomach of her opponent Namajunas as she fought hard to remain in the fight

Namajunas strikes VanZant with a strong left hand on her way to a well-deserved win over the UFC poster girl

Namajunas celebrates her submission victory over VanZant in their UFC strawweight bout

And the victor admitted she started to wonder if the finish would ever come.

'A couple of times I was a little frustrated but I kept hearing my corner just reaffirming my thoughts to let the finish come and not force it,' she said.

'I also knew beforehand that she was going to be flexible and that there would be submissions there but that it might not be finished right away.

'Everything I knew beforehand after studying her all came together.'

Namajunas' victory came almost a year to the day after she lost to Carla Esparza in The Ultimate Fighter Finale.

And she revealed she has since been on a journey of self discovery. 

'The list [of changes] is endless,' she admitted. 'I can say the main thing is I've just been focusing on me. I put myself first and help others after that with what's left over.

'I'm not paying attention to what's going on around me.

'When you start to look at the media you don't listen to yourself and that's the main person who knows.

'I've been more honest with myself and constantly been soul searching.' 

VanZant took a beating for four rounds before finally submitting to a rear naked choke in the final session

VanZant had been the poster girl of the strawweight division and was hoping for a title shot soon

Victory for VanZant would have propelled her closer to a title shot but there was no beating Namajunas

Namajunas' victorious team are all smiles as they celebrate their impressive victory over the fancied VanZant