‘Without a doubt’ – Paige VanZant’s BKFC future made clear following MMA comeback
Paige VanZant will return to bare-knuckle boxing this year despite announcing her plans to complete an MMA comeback. The former UFC prospect announced this week that she’ll be back in the cage under the banner of the Global Fight League (GFL). VanZant was in the UFC for six yearsGetty The 30-year-old fan favourite is returning to the sport where she made her name after crossover boxing stints. VanZant, who debuted for the UFC in 2014, competed 13 times in pro-MMA (8-5) with two bare-knuckle fights (0-2) to her name as well. That latter defeat saw ’12 Gauge’ take a 33-month hiatus from combat sports before battling to a split-decision draw against Elle Brooke in KSI’s Misfits promotion last May. VanZant has since been involved in Power Slap fights after linking up with Dana White’s league – with another appearance this year. However, she remains tied to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship – having signed a lucrative $400,000 per-fight three-bout deal following her UFC exit in 2020. PVZ hasn’t fought for BKFC since being outpointed by Rachael Ostovich – a fighter she previously beat in the UFC – in July 2021. BKFC boss Dave Feldman confirmed VanZant is still in his plans for the first half of 2025 despite her other ventures and lengthy absence. “[Paige] was actually at that fight at Hard Rock last week and we talked,” Feldman told MMA Fighting. “I said, ‘What’s up, are we going to do this or what?’ She said, ‘I’ve got one more fight on my contract, let’s go.’ “I know she’s talking about some other fight, possibly first, so that could be what she’s talking about, but absolutely Paige is in the early 2025 plans without a doubt. She’s game for it, we’re game for it.” VanZant is 0-2 in bare-knuckle boxing but has made big moneyGETTY VanZant was one of the hottest free agents in all of combat sports when she exited the UFC with an unremarkable 5-4 record. Ultimately, she decided to sign with BKFC which paid her $400k per fight – ten times more than she was earning in the UFC. The bare-knuckle promotion has continued to achieve success in recent years but PVZ was also credited for her role in its rise. Feldman added: “Look, I never forget what people did for us. “Although we paid her 10 times what she got paid in the UFC, she moved the needle for us. She was a big-time needle mover for us. Because people are like, ‘Paige VanZant’s fighting bare-knuckle? That’s crazy, right?’ I’ll never forget that. “Certainly, she’s coming back at least for one more fight, 100 per cent in early 2025.” VanZant and Brooke couldn’t be split after four rounds of boxingWasserman Boxing VanZant called the GFL the ‘perfect opportunity’ to stage her MMA comeback when she announced her fight schedule for 2025. “I think that I’m stepping back into the world of MMA,” she said on her podcast with her husband Austin Vanderford, who is also an MMA fighter. “They [GFL] offered me a contract and I said: ‘Yes’. So, I’m going back to MMA. “I think this is the perfect opportunity because I definitely didn’t leave MMA because I wasn’t passionate about it anymore.” Former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and other ex-UFC stars such as Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis, Luke Rockhold, Ovince Saint Preux and Alexander Gustafsson have all been announced as GFL fighters. “When I became a free agent outside of the UFC the biggest offer that came in was bare-knuckle boxing,” VanZant added. VanZant was one of the UFC’s most popular fightersGetty “They presented the best offer to me. It was exciting, new and definitely sparked my interest…I absolutely loved it. “Now there’s this new MMA organization that actually made me really excited to fight for them. The way they are doing it, they are legit paying their athletes. “Everyone that I’ve heard that has negotiated their contracts so far is extremely excited and happy. “I also saw, which I don’t know the logistics of behind the scenes. They’re doing a pension fund for the fighters, and I think health insurance… “You just never know when it’s over, so I wanna do everything I can to make the most money while I can, get the most opportunities and be able to provide for my family forever.”
Paige VanZant will return to bare-knuckle boxing this year despite announcing her plans to complete an MMA comeback.
The former UFC prospect announced this week that she’ll be back in the cage under the banner of the Global Fight League (GFL).
The 30-year-old fan favourite is returning to the sport where she made her name after crossover boxing stints.
VanZant, who debuted for the UFC in 2014, competed 13 times in pro-MMA (8-5) with two bare-knuckle fights (0-2) to her name as well.
That latter defeat saw ’12 Gauge’ take a 33-month hiatus from combat sports before battling to a split-decision draw against Elle Brooke in KSI’s Misfits promotion last May.
VanZant has since been involved in Power Slap fights after linking up with Dana White’s league – with another appearance this year.
However, she remains tied to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship – having signed a lucrative $400,000 per-fight three-bout deal following her UFC exit in 2020.
PVZ hasn’t fought for BKFC since being outpointed by Rachael Ostovich – a fighter she previously beat in the UFC – in July 2021.
BKFC boss Dave Feldman confirmed VanZant is still in his plans for the first half of 2025 despite her other ventures and lengthy absence.
“[Paige] was actually at that fight at Hard Rock last week and we talked,” Feldman told MMA Fighting.
“I said, ‘What’s up, are we going to do this or what?’ She said, ‘I’ve got one more fight on my contract, let’s go.’
“I know she’s talking about some other fight, possibly first, so that could be what she’s talking about, but absolutely Paige is in the early 2025 plans without a doubt. She’s game for it, we’re game for it.”
VanZant was one of the hottest free agents in all of combat sports when she exited the UFC with an unremarkable 5-4 record.
Ultimately, she decided to sign with BKFC which paid her $400k per fight – ten times more than she was earning in the UFC.
The bare-knuckle promotion has continued to achieve success in recent years but PVZ was also credited for her role in its rise.
Feldman added: “Look, I never forget what people did for us.
“Although we paid her 10 times what she got paid in the UFC, she moved the needle for us. She was a big-time needle mover for us. Because people are like, ‘Paige VanZant’s fighting bare-knuckle? That’s crazy, right?’ I’ll never forget that.
“Certainly, she’s coming back at least for one more fight, 100 per cent in early 2025.”
VanZant called the GFL the ‘perfect opportunity’ to stage her MMA comeback when she announced her fight schedule for 2025.
“I think that I’m stepping back into the world of MMA,” she said on her podcast with her husband Austin Vanderford, who is also an MMA fighter.
“They [GFL] offered me a contract and I said: ‘Yes’. So, I’m going back to MMA.
“I think this is the perfect opportunity because I definitely didn’t leave MMA because I wasn’t passionate about it anymore.”
Former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and other ex-UFC stars such as Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis, Luke Rockhold, Ovince Saint Preux and Alexander Gustafsson have all been announced as GFL fighters.
“When I became a free agent outside of the UFC the biggest offer that came in was bare-knuckle boxing,” VanZant added.
“They presented the best offer to me. It was exciting, new and definitely sparked my interest…I absolutely loved it.
“Now there’s this new MMA organization that actually made me really excited to fight for them. The way they are doing it, they are legit paying their athletes.
“Everyone that I’ve heard that has negotiated their contracts so far is extremely excited and happy.
“I also saw, which I don’t know the logistics of behind the scenes. They’re doing a pension fund for the fighters, and I think health insurance…
“You just never know when it’s over, so I wanna do everything I can to make the most money while I can, get the most opportunities and be able to provide for my family forever.”
