Hannah Rankin found out just how hard bare-knuckle boxing is on Saturday night.
The 13-8 professional boxer previously won the IBO super-welterweight title in 2019, and in doing so became the first Scottish woman to become a world champion.
Rankin added to her epic legacy when she won the WBA female super-welterweight belt two years later – but now she’s decided to try a new sport.
‘The Classical Warrior’ was expected to use her boxing skills to dominate K1 fighter Deborah Melhorn, but things didn’t go exactly to plan at the Marbella Arena.
Hannah Rankin battered, bloody and bruised after her BKFC debut
Rankin and Melhorn were difficult to separate through five rounds of pulsating back-and-forth action that had Conor McGregor raving when the final bell sounded.
The UFC legend and BKFC co-owner immediately stormed the ring to praise both fighters who he repeatedly and loudly branded ‘warrior women’ before the scorecards were confirmed.
Ultimately, Rankin was declared the winner via a 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 split decision before celebrating wildly as her disappointed opponent headed backstage to assess a tough loss.
The victory came at a cost. Rankin was almost unrecognizable at the final bell as she was covered in blood from cuts that had opened up during the bout.
Both her eyes and her head were swollen in a way that warped the face and made Rankin look nothing like the fighter who had entered the ring 30 minutes earlier.
After taking time to heal up, Rankin is almost certainly set to carry on with her bare-knuckle boxing career that has seen her strike up a friendship with the promotion’s famous co-owner.
Conor McGregor took Hannah Rankin under his wing ahead of her career switch
Rankin recently opened up about her close relationship with McGregor, who has done everything he can to make her transition from boxing to bare-knuckle as easy as possible.
The Scot has thoroughly enjoyed being around the UFC icon and getting tips from one of the best MMA fighters to have ever stepped foot inside the Octagon.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of press conferences but being involved in a press conference with Conor McGregor is in a completely different league. He has serious star power,” Rankin told The National.
“But he’s taken me under his wing and he and his team are really supporting me – we’ve got each other’s phone numbers, so he’ll message me which is quite crazy.
“It’s been insane hearing him talking me up publicly but when I chat to him alone, with no one else around, you can just speak to him like a normal person.
“He’s obsessed with fighting and combat sports – he’s a real nerd about it all so actually, when we’re talking fighter to fighter, it feels really normal.”
Rankin wants to win another belt under McGregor’s BKFC banner.
She added: “Ultimately, the goal is to become a two-sport world champion.
“I’m not going into this just to have a go, I want to be great.
“I never do things by half and it’s the same with this. Throughout my whole career, I’ve never shied away from a challenge – I’ve always wanted to go up against the best in the world so actually, I’d have been disappointed if I’d been going up against a soft touch
“I’m a two-time world champion myself and I’m proud of that so I want to go in against strong opposition. That gives me extra motivation knowing it’ll be a hard fight.
“I do feel some nerves but I’m glad to have them because it makes me extra focused.”