Paige VanZant Says She's a 'Much Better' Fighter After Breaking Arm

Paige VanZant says she's got a lot of pent up "anger and aggression" to unload on Rachael Ostovich when they fight in Jan. ... telling TMZ Sports her nasty arm injury has made her BETTER!

Remember, Paige broke her arm throwing a spinning back fist at Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC Fight Night 124 back in Jan. 2018 -- and she needed TWO surgeries to fix the injury.

But, despite the 10-month layoff, the 24-year-old star says she's been working on other parts of her game and truly feels she's a more well-rounded fighter.

"I'm gonna be so much better," Paige told us while out in Portugal ... "'I've been able to focus on so many other things while the arm was healing."

Paige says she's been champing at the bit to get the fight deal done -- explaining how UFC has been trying to make it happen for a while.

The problem ... Paige's first surgery on the arm failed -- despite doctors using a titanium plate to try and stabilize the bone -- so she needed to go under the knife for the second time.

That surgery worked and Paige says she's been training her ass off ever since.

Paige and Rachael will face off Jan. 19 in Brooklyn -- Paige says she expects it to be a helluva fight.