Britain Hart gave Paige VanZant a rude welcome to the Bare Knuckle FC world on in the “KnuckleMania” main event on Friday.
In VanZant’s anticipated debut with the promotion after moving on from the UFC in late 2020, Hart showed off superior work in the clinch and from range to take four of five rounds to win a unanimous decision by scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 49-46 in the 125-pound contest.
“BKFC: KnuckleMania” went down at Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson in Clearwater, Fla., and streamed via online pay-per-view following prelims on MMA Junkie.
VanZant opened the fight with a solid uppercut in the clinch, but Hart fired back with some hard body shots from the inside before they were separated. VanZant charged forward with a combination, and was met with a hard counter hook. They got into a flurry just before the end of the round.
Hart opened the second round working behind her jab as VanZant attempted to weave in and land her hook. They exchanged before clinching up on the inside, where Hart worked her hard body shots. The referee broke them up, then the fighter exchanged from a distance, as Hart landed a right hook what was her best punch of the round.
VanZant opened the third round with a pair of nice right hands, but Hart showed no fear in firing back with combinations. VanZant started to get her jab going, but as soon as she came inside Hart got the better of her with activity inside the clinch. Hart showed much more aggression from the range, and VanZant clinched her again before being separated. They clinched again and burned off time until round’s end.
VanZant got some respect to start the fourth round in landing a nice right hand. She forced her way inside the clinch, but they were quickly broken up. Hart connected with a clean uppercut, and VanZant scored back to bloody the nose of her opponent. Hart used good ring control and moved forward with her punches, forcing VanZant to clinch her again. VanZant’s shots continued to be shy of the target, and Hart landed a stiff right hand before the end of the round.
The final round, Hart initiated the pressure from the striking range as VanZant used her movement to stay on the outside. She scored with a left hand and a right, but Hart charged her way inside and battered the body with more punches. VanZant landed three good hooks as the fight came under one minute remaining. They started to brawl down the stretch, with VanZant finding solid success. Hart stayed tough, though, and kept pushing her way inside and punching until the final bell.
“This is as big as you make it. Paige VanZant was an idol to me, because she’s pretty and showed you can break the limits,” Hart said in her post-fight interview. “I was not going to let Paige VanZant outwork me. You cannot outwork me.”
MAIN CARD
- Britain Hart def. Paige VanZant via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
- Dat Nguyen def. Johnny Bedford via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) – to win bantamweight title
- Chris Leben def. Quentin Henry via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:07
- Martin Brown def. Zach Zane via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:28
- Lorenzo Hunt def. Rob Morrow via knockout (punches) – Round 4, 2:00
- John Chalbeck def. Greg Bono via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:28
- Haim Gozali def. John McCallister via knockout (punches). Round 2, 1:08
- Dillon Cleckler def. Chris Jensen via TKO (body punch) – Round 1, 0:24
- Charisa Sigala vs. Taylor Starling via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-43, 49-44)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Travis Thompson def. Dave Morgan via TKO — Round 2, 0:22
- Jarod Grant def. Brandon Lambert via knockout — Round 3, 1:11
- Jeff Bailey def. Drew Lipton via knockout — Round 1, 1:32
‘BKFC: KnuckleMania’ results: Britain Hart picks apart Paige VanZant for unanimous decision
