Paige VanZant was presented with several outside-the-octagon opportunities following her stint on “Dancing with the Stars” earlier this year. She turned all those down, however, because currently, nothing outweighs her desire to fight again for the UFC, she said.

VanZant (6-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) gained plenty of recognition in recent months when she made a deep run on “Dancing with the Stars,” eventually finishing as runner-up in the competition. She had the chance to parlay that success with a role in the “Kickboxer” movie sequel as well as an appearance at WWE’s “SummerSlam” event, but instead, opted to accept the fight with Bec Rawlings (7-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC on FOX 21 in August.

The chance to build on her celebrity through movies and WWE appearances were tempting, but VanZant told ESPN’s “SportsCenter” today her priority remains with fighting.

“Fighting definitely comes first,” VanZant said. “I’ve recently declined to be in the ‘Kickboxer’ movie because I want to be 100 percent for this fight and train 100 percent and filming that movie was kind of going to get in the way. We couldn’t get a date set that worked with my fight schedule.

“Right now I’m 100 percent fight-focused and I would love to participate in anything the WWE has to offer when the timing’s right as long as it works with my fight schedule. I love WWE and if they ever reached out to me again I would love to work with them but right now I’m focused on Bec Rawlings.”

UFC on FOX 21 takes place on Aug. 27 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass, though the bout order has not been set.

Although fighting is a more physically taxing and time-consuming endeavor than the other options presented, VanZant couldn’t accept spending more time away from the octagon. She hasn’t competed in since a one-sided submission loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC Fight Night 80 in December and couldn’t go any longer without trying to redeem herself.

VanZant could have attempted to juggle acting and WWE commitments along with her preparation for Rawlings, but said that would have been detrimental to her desire to return as a better fighter than displayed in her most recent bout.

“It feels really good to get back to my roots,” VanZant said. “I really, really miss MMA. I miss the UFC and this is my world and I belong in it and I’m excited to get back in the cage.”

“I feel like I just missed violence. I went to a few UFC fights and it’s really hard for me to sit still cageside because I just want to be in there and that’s how it’s been every time I go to a UFC fight.”

What helps even more, VanZant said, is the fact she can get excited about her return. Rawlings will enter UFC on FOX 21 with a two-fight winning streak including a unanimous decision win over Seo Hee Ham at UFC Fight Night 85 in March. Although Rawlings has been streaking, VanZant said she sees the matchup as advantageous in her favor, even going so far as to call “Rowdy” the “perfect” fit for her comeback.

“I am so excited about this matchup I think it’s perfect, especially with me coming back into the UFC after being away for ‘Dancing with the Stars,'” VanZant said. “It’s a perfect matchup, I’m very excited for this fight and I’m excited to go to Canada and have it take place there. I love Canada, so this is a great matchup and I can’t wait for this one.”

For more on UFC on FOX 21, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.