Former UFC strawweight Paige VanZant will be leaving her gloves behind when she makes her bare-knuckle boxing debut on Friday night.
VanZant fights Britain Hart in the main event of BKFC: Knucklemania on Feb. 5th. One of the most popular fighters during her time in the UFC, VanZant had the “it factor,” according to Dana White which led to her being one of the few fighters to receive an individual Reebok sponsorship deal. The 26-year-old fought out of her contract last July and signed a lucrative $1,000,000 deal (plus incentives) with BKFC the following month.
Speaking to Bloody Elbow ahead of her BKFC debut, VanZant opened up about her time in the UFC and why she feels comfortable in her transition to bare-knuckle fighting.