Paige VanZant issues statement after latest bare knuckle loss, ‘I will rise’

Paige VanZant, a former UFC headliner and Dancing With the Stars contestant, is not having the best time since transitioning to bare knuckle boxing.…

By: Tim Bissell | 2 years ago
Paige VanZant issues statement after latest bare knuckle loss, ‘I will rise’
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Paige VanZant, a former UFC headliner and Dancing With the Stars contestant, is not having the best time since transitioning to bare knuckle boxing. Last night, at BKFC 19, ‘12 Gage’ went 0-2 in her new field with a unanimous decision loss to Rachael Ostovich.

VanZant lost with scores of 48-47, 48-47, 49-46. Throughout the fight, against someone she submitted in the UFC Octagon in 2019, VanZant got caught with hard shots and consistently found herself second to the punch.

The gruelling decision loss mirrored her bare knuckle debut, from KnuckleMania earlier this year, where she slumped to a unanimous decision loss to Britain Hart.

Moments after losing to Ostovich, VanZant took to Instagram to let everyone know we haven’t seen the last of her yet.

“I will rise,” she wrote. “I will always rise. Don’t you doubt that even for a second.”

VanZant’s MMA career began in 2012. She made it to the UFC in 2014, shortly after that promotion expanded its roster to include strawweights. She won her first three UFC contests, defeating Kallin Curran, Felice Herrig and Alex Chambers.

She then lost to future champion Rose Namajunas in the main event of UFC Fight Night 80 in 2015. A sensational switch kick KO over Bec Rawlings (who is also currently signed to BKFC) followed. After that VanZant took back-to-back losses to Michelle Waterson and Jessica-Rose Clark.

She rebounded from those losses with her win over Ostovich. Her last UFC bout was a submission loss to Amanda Ribas at last year’s UFC 251.

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Tim Bissell
Tim Bissell

Tim Bissell is a writer, editor and deputy site manager for Bloody Elbow. He has covered combat sports since 2015. Tim covers news and events and has also written longform and investigative pieces. Among Tim's specialties are the intersections between crime and combat sports. Tim has also covered head trauma, concussions and CTE in great detail.

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