VanZant ‘Still Bare Knuckle Boxing’ With BKFC

Paige VanZant recently signed a pro wrestling contract with AEW and in the wake of her 0-2 run inside the bare knuckle boxing ring, it would seem reasonable to expect “12 Gauge” to move on from BKFC and the world of gloveless combat.

Then again, maybe not.

“I’m still bare knuckle boxing,” VanZant told MMA Fighting. “I’m still with BKFC. I’m about to sign a contract extension. Of course I didn’t have the greatest success right off the bat but that also fueled my fire even more. Training harder and I do see a lot of relationship between my training for BKFC and my training for pro wrestling. The great thing is there’s 24 hours in a day and I’m going to use every single hour of that to train for both.”

VanZant, 28, parted ways with UFC back in summer 2020 and was expected to become a major player in the women’s bare knuckle arena; however, consecutive losses to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich slowed her momentum.

Perhaps only temporarily.

“I’m committed 100 percent,” VanZant continued. “I do know the last two fights that I had for them, they were extremely close, both of them. Looking at it from an athlete’s perspective I do know I lost to both of them. I know there was controversy some people saying I won. It was very close. I do see it as I had two losses but they were extremely close and I can see my boxing skill better from the first to the second [fight].”

VanZant is in talks to make her BKFC return this July in London.