Paige VanZant's Debut Gets Critique From Fellow Power Slap Star, She Was Flinching!

Paige VanZant 's getting a peer review of her Power Slap debut ... with fellow competitor Sheena Bathory telling TMZ Sports it was overall a good performance -- but there's one thing in particular that caught her attention.

The former UFC fighter went up against Christine Wolmarans in Power Slap 8 last week ... the first-ever slap battle of her combat sports career.

VanZant knocked Wolmaran down twice in the four-round match and withstood her opponent's hard strikes ... getting the unanimous decision victory. The victory was met with criticism, as many believed Paige flinched before getting hit -- a big no-no in the sport.

Bathory agrees with those who pointed out the tactical error ... telling us she believes PVZ did it on purpose to avoid the hard impact. But overall, it wasn't too shabby of an outing for a rookie.

"She did an amazing job for her first slap fight," Bathory said. "But yeah, I have to admit that she was flinching and I think in the whole four [rounds] she did."

Bathory said the officials and judges probably missed the maneuver because PVZ's timing of the flinch, a foul in PS, was so perfect ... and Christine, who Sheena fought before in Power Slap, is taking the loss hard.

"I was messaging with her because she's an awesome person ... and it's a really hard time for Christine to take this kinda loss," Bathory said.

"She never complained even though she also saw it, or felt it was a flinch but she didn't complain. She respected the judge's results."

We asked Bathory -- who is back training after her recent BBL surgery -- if she's willing to get into the slap ring with VanZant in 2025 ... and she said she's down to do it if she makes weight.

But in the meantime, she's looking forward to boxing again and throwing on the gloves in October.