‘They are a great couple’: Ex-UFC pin-up VanZant and MMA husband declared ‘class’ as pornstar Kendra Lust shares bare knuckle snap

UFC fan and pornstar Kendra Lust says she is longing for more Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) events after meeting Paige VanZant and her husband, Bellator MMA's Austin Vanderford, ahead of the newcomer's debut next year.

The hugely popular adult performer had a night to remember at a promotion event in November, where she supported Cuban fighter Ulysses Diaz as he knocked out Donelei Benedetto in a quickfire contest lasting just three seconds.

Former UFC competitor VanZant was also in Miami to confirm a fight with Britain Hart, her first opponent in bare knuckle fighting, in Florida on Super Bowl weekend in February.

Lust - real name Michele Anne Mason - is one of the few people to have more Instagram fans than VanZant, racking up more than double the fighter's vast total of 2.7 million.

The ex-UFC flyweight is renowned for her racey photoshoots with Vanderford on social media, and Lust was impressed by the camera-loving pair. 

"Can I go back to Miami where it’s warm?" she asked, sharing a photo of herself at the event alongside VanZant, Vanderford and Diaz's girlfriend, WWE star and former professional body builder Dana Brooke.

"Such a great time...met some great people. Paige is just class, the way she goes about it - I could see.

"Her husband, Austin, is such a nice guy - they are a great couple together. I am looking forward to more events and hope to be a part of more.

"Walking out [Diaz] with his beautiful girl and my friend, then to witness the fastest knockout ever. I suggest [you] check out [BKFC], you will love it."

VanZant's addition to the BKFC has already raised the profile of the promotion in the three months since she signed, although some fans and analysts have voiced fears that a fighter not noted for her punch power during her time with the UFC could struggle in a more brutal discipline.

Hart recorded a knockout win on the night, meeting VanZant in the ring afterwards, and is an experienced boxer with four defeats from 11 fights.

VanZant shared Lust's photo on her account, which she has been using to keep her fans updated on a trip she took to Alaska with Vanderford this week.

The couple visited a wellness center and went running and sledding in the snow, while VanZant broke her posts up with a more familiar image of herself balancing above Vanderford's half-naked torso in a bikini, writing: "Thought I should heat things up a little because it’s been so cold."

They took part in a typically risque shoot before leaving, as VanZant draped herself over Vanderford inside their home for a series of black-and-white portraits.

"I would say I want to rip off your clothes but you never really have any on," she told him. "You’re on my list of things to do tonight."

Lust expressed her admiration for another Bellator star, Juan Archuleta, a day before vaunting VanZant.

"I met him about five years ago through a mutual friend," she said, publishing a photo with the bantamweight champion. "Our friend said he is going to be a world champion.

"After getting to know him and his family who support him, and seeing how hard he trains, there was no doubt in my mind he would be a champion one day.

"So happy for him and his family - much deserved for such a humble person. I can’t wait to see you fight again in Bellator MMA. Let’s go."