Former UFC flyweight star Paige VanZant, who earlier announced her transition to bare-knuckle boxing, has announced that she will make her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut on 5th February.
Paige VanZant, who called it quits from the UFC after 13 professional appearances in the octagon (8 wins, 5 losses), made a shock move to bare-knuckle boxing last year after penning an exclusive four-bout contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) in August 2020.
Paige VanZant is making her bare-knuckle boxing debut on 5th February at BKFC 16
Now, the 26-year-old mixed martial artist has revealed that she will be making her debut in BFKC on February 5, making it official via a post on Instagram.
“Best of 2020 is this picture right here. Bout agreement signed for my @bareknucklefc debut. February 5th baby!!!! Let’s go!!”
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Paige VanZant’s bare-knuckle debut will take place against Britain Hart in the Women’s Featherweight 57 kg category at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 16. BKFC 16 will also host the Lightweight Championship fight between former UFC fighter Johnny Bedford and Vietnamese boxer Dat Nguyen.
“It was an amazing contract, an amazing opportunity,” VanZant spoke to ESPN after signing the BKFC deal last year, “I also feel like it’s not a move backwards for me. It’s a lateral move to a new opportunity, a new challenge, a brand new sport. I really have sparked a brand new passion for it and especially for striking in general.”
Founded in 2018, BKFC had its first official event on 2nd June that year at the Cheyenne Ice and Events Center in Cheyenne in Wyoming and was the first sanctioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1889, featuring 10 heavyweight matches.
The promotion had its latest event with BKFC 15 on 11th December last year at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi, with a heavyweight card featuring MMA veterans Mark Godbeer and Sam Shewmaker as the headline event.
VanZant, who made her debut in the octagon in June 2012, had her final UFC fight against Amanda Ribas of Brazil at UFC 251 on 12th July at Abu Dhabi. She lost the match via an armbar submission.
A former strawweight fighter, the 26-year-old made her Flyweight debut against Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC Fight Night 124 on 14th January 2018 at the at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
