Paige VanZant hopes to make a career as a UFC flyweight after a short and sporadic tour of smaller MMA promotions.

Once a culinary arts student, she dropped out of school when she realized it was too tough to cook and cut weight at the same time.

Martial arts gave VanZant a passion and focus completely separate from the kitchen, but her inspiration for combat sports was homegrown. An older, bigger brother was her first sparring partner.

“We were best friends, and then all of a sudden in middle school, we didn’t like each other any more,” she told MMAjunkie Radio.

The two settled things in the backyard, where they strapped on gloves borrowed from a neighbor and went at it. The littlest of things could provoke a sparring session.

“If he had the rest of the milk, it was bad,” she said.

VanZant said her parents figured it was better for her to work out her extra energy than intervene. She giggles that she took “a lot of beatdowns.”

On occasion, though, she outlasted her bigger opponent.

“I was definitely the more athletic one in the family,” she said. “I had that edge. He was bigger, but I was the athlete.”

Now, her brother is one of her biggest supporters as she embarks on her new life with the UFC, which originally signed her as a contestant on “The Ultimate Fighter 20” before finding out that at 20, she was too young to participate on the show.

On Saturday, VanZant (3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her octagon debut against the undefeated Kailin Curran (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who earned a 3-0 record in the Pacific Xtreme Combat promotion.

After her initial flirtations with pugilism, VanZant followed in her father’s footsteps when she attended a class at Ken Shamrock’s Lion’s Dean in Reno, Nev. Coaches immediately saw her potential and encouraged her to begin serious training.

VanZant started her professional career in 2012 and won two fights by decision before suffering her first loss against current “TUF 20” competitor Tecia Torres. She most recently fought in April 2013, when she earned her first stoppage victory, a submission of Courtney Himes at a regional show.

It’s been a long time since she stepped into the cage, but VanZant said she’s been getting a lot of advice from UFC veterans she’s met since signing on with the promotion.

“I’m very fortunate that I got to just go straight into the UFC, getting to be on this fight card,” she said. “I think it worked out for the best. I got a few more months to really focus on what I needed to work on in my fight game.”

VanZant said she’s already fought and beaten Curran 100 times in her mind and simply needs to make her vision a reality when the opening bell rings. One more day of training sits between her and an important opportunity.

These days, her sparring partners push her hard. But they’re not throwing over spilled milk.

For more on UFC Fight Night 57, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM channel 92, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.