Paige VanZant – “Anybody who steps into bare-knuckle boxing needs to get a round of applause”
Paige VanZant has not had the most successful career when it comes to bare knuckle fighting, but the 29-year-old former UFC star is happy she made the move.
“Making the transition to BKFC, I’m really happy I did it still,” VanZant told MMA Fighting. “I’m so super happy with the decision.
“Me switching to BKFC hasn’t been successful just for wins, I feel accomplished. I went 10 rounds with some really, really tough people, some really tough chicks doing bare-knuckle boxing. Anybody who steps into bare-knuckle boxing needs to get a round of applause. It’s a whole different animal. It’s violent and brutal, and it feels different.”
“12-Gauge” VanZant is 0-2 since moving from MMA to bare-knuckle. She dropped back-to-back decision losses to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich but says that she will return for a third fight although the timeline is still up in the air.
At this point in her career, VanZant does not need to fight, especially since she has gone on record to state that she now makes more money through OnlyFans than she did during her entire tenure with the UFC.
“I’ve been really fortunate that my career, even outside of the UFC and outside of fighting, has been pretty successful,” VanZant said. “I’ve worked pretty hard in other industries and trying to cross over to I guess more of a mainstream personality. But yes, Only Fans has definitely been my largest source of income.
“I would say combined in my fighting career; I think I made more money in 24 hours on Only Fans that I had in my entire fighting career combined. … And so that’s why it’s hard as a person…you know, [I] was nervous about the stigma, but now … it’s hard to walk away. I feel like … when you’re one of those people that you were born poor, you grew up poor and then you become rich, it’s almost like you always just feel poor. So, you always want to continue to work hard, and I am lucky I’m in a position where I have been able to help my family; my husband and I help our family, and we do everything we can to bring everybody up to the table. … So, it … it’s justifies doing, you know, exclusive content, knowing that I’m helping take care of everybody around me.”
