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Paige VanZant knew she was going to shock the world when it was announced that she was leaving the UFC and signing a deal to join the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships.
While her exit from the UFC was not that surprising given her concerns about the promotion’s pay scale, the fact that the 26-year-old flyweight, who also serves as a role model in her spare time, would take the decision to compete. in a sport where getting really bloody is only part of the deal.
Despite a study conducted in coordination with the Association of Ringside Physicians which in fact showed that fighters participating in bare-handed boxing are less often concussed while receiving fewer broken hands than their counterparts in mixed martial arts or boxing , the aesthetic surrounding the aftermath of a typical fight. in a BKFC fight is a much harder pill to swallow.
There is a particularly grisly image of BKFC veteran Jason Knight after a fight in which VanZant was repeatedly tagged on social media once she signed on with the promotion. As much as she appreciates the worry, VanZant promises that she will start her first fight at BKFC Knucklemania on February 5 with realistic expectations of what is likely to happen.
“I think what’s difficult is the regular fan, not necessarily martial arts trained or medically educated. They see blood and immediately see it as a terrible injury, ”VanZant said while speaking to MMA Fighting. “While for me, I’d much rather be open than break my arm or break my knuckle or tear my shoulder or tear my knee.”
“These are all things that take a long time to heal as one laceration I cut my face in one fight – one you can barely tell, and two I heard statistically the scars gave you back. more attractive. It does not matter. These heal and you continue. The faces are healing very well, your body is healing very well.
VanZant’s eyes are wide open in her first fight with BKFC, but signing up for the promotion had nothing to do with showing her tenacity after being often painted as a pretty face rather than a legitimate mixed martial artist in the world. during his UFC career.
She’ll never apologize for taking advantage of opportunities presented to her like a previous stint on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars or a photo featured in a recent edition of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.
Much like these examples, VanZant has just seen BKFC as the best move possible for her career right now and she can’t wait to get down to business.
“I feel like for me it wasn’t about proving anything,” VanZant explained. “It’s really about going out and having fun. That’s what it was like when I started MMA, when I started my UFC career. There was no one to whom I had to prove otherwise. I was just going there to try this because I didn’t know how long the fighting was going to last for me. I was so young and so new to this sport.
“So here, it’s a bit the same. I’m just going to go out there and have fun and do something that I’m passionate about. I do it because I like it and nothing else matters.
To be clear, VanZant definitely had the option of continuing to fight in MMA because as soon as her UFC contract expired, she immediately had suitors ready to offer him a deal.
The most attractive option came from Bellator MMA after the promotion owned by ViacomCBS attempted to get VanZant on the roster where she would join her husband Austin Vanderford, who is currently competing as a welterweight.
In the end, VanZant chose to sign with BKFC, although she admits it wasn’t an easy decision given her feelings towards Bellator.
“There were several different things and you mentioned a few of them – money, passion,” VanZant said of why she signed with BKFC. “It’s not just one thing that led me to sign with BKFC. Of course, Bellator, as I neared the end of my UFC career, I kind of anticipated that I would sign with Bellator. I love the way they treat my husband.
“It’s an amazing promotion and they came up with a really great offer. It was hard to turn that down, especially knowing that I was walking away from my husband and fighting for the same promotion, which is so cool. For me, there were so many different factors.
According to VanZant, the advantages of working with BKFC far outweighed the potential disadvantages.
“Yeah, one, the pay was great, they came up with a really good offer,” VanZant said. “There were other pieces in my career like I really love hitting and it’s a part of my career where I can just focus on hitting which is so much fun. My arm, I broke my arm three times and every time I broke it was an MMA injury, not a punching or boxing injury or I guess it was a punching injury, but no straight boxing. Like someone throwing a flying knee at me, I don’t have to worry about it anymore. It’s like that moment when I can be so passionate and not have to worry about hurting myself again. I can just go out there and compete.
“Passion is part of it. I knew people were going to expect me to sign with Bellator. Everyone knows that “oh Paige is going to the Bellator” it was kinda obvious and I’m like I’m going to shock the world and I’m so excited about it. “
Because BKFC invested so much in VanZant, there was no doubt that their debut was going to be treated as such and the result is pay-per-view Knucklemania with the former UFC star serving as the main event.
There were talks for a number of potential opponents for his first fight, but the promotion ultimately fell to Britain Hart, who is a three-fight BKFC veteran who earned a TKO victory as he was previously fighting for a split decision with Bec Rawlings.
In other words, VanZant doesn’t have an opponent that she expected and absolutely mattered to her.
“Honestly, I’m really excited about this game,” VanZant said. “There was a back and forth between who was going to be my opponent. BKFC wasn’t really sure, there was a lot of talk about who he would be. I’m really excited for the person they settled down with, especially for the debut. I’m going into her world, something she’s been a part of before. She fought for the title. She fought a split decision with Bec Rawlings, who we all know is extremely talented. People should know about this British chick, she is absolutely no joke.
“I think that’s what makes me seize the opportunity better. I know I have to take this very seriously because I know how tough she is. That’s the thing, I’m coming to fight the best of the best and I’m super excited to be able to step into his world and take over. I think it will be the perfect start for me.
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