Paige VanZant is officially no longer part of the UFC roster after she announced on Wednesday that she has joined Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, where she’s under contract to fight four times. ESPN’s report on the deal says VanZant’s first of four fights for the organization could come in November.
VanZant shared her reason for moving to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, and she says she wants to prove a point.
“I feel like I still have this stigma in MMA that I’m just a pretty face, and what a way to prove to people that’s not the way I see myself at all. This is a sport where people probably have the highest rate of getting cut open and having long-term scars is definitely something that I’m not even worried about for me. It’s just the love of competition and I’m really excited to go out there and show off in such an amazing sport,” VanZant said, via ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
Despite fighting as much as she has during her career, VanZant seems to be known more for her insanely good looks, which is why she wants to show the world she is not afraid of a challenge. However, fighting without gloves will lead to more cuts and facial damage for participants, which makes VanZant’s decision so curious.
The 26-year-old has gone 8-5 in pro MMA, and was very critical of UFC on how much she got paid to fight. She now gets the money she says she deserves and now has to prove her doubters wrong.
