Paige VanZant says she's stayed quiet about her haters for too long and has told critics of her switch to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship to "grow up" as she prepares to make her debut for the promotion on February 5.
VanZant takes on Britain Hart in the main event of Bare Knuckle: Knuckle Mania in what will be her debut bout under bare-knuckle rules, and in an up-front interview with TMZ Sports she spoke out about people criticizing her decision to swap the MMA cage for the bare knuckle ring.
"You know what? I have, for the majority of my career – and I've been thinking about this – why have I kept my mouth shut so much about all the haters, and about all the hate and negativity I get?" she said.
Also on rt.com Fight queen VanZant wrings sweat from training gear as she ‘works her a** off’ before bare-knuckle debut (VIDEO)"My idea was, if you talk sh*t about somebody, you should be willing to say that to their face.
"And not a single person who has said anything negatively about me publicly has been willing to say it to my face, and I've seen people in person."
Some have criticized the photogenic VanZant's decision to dive into the at-times brutal world of bare-knuckle fighting, where cuts and blood are commonplace in bouts due to the lack of padding on fighters' hands during bouts.
To those who suggested that VanZant shouldn't look to do anything to ruin her good looks, the cheerleader-turned-UFC star had a strong message in response.
Also on rt.com On ice: Paige VanZant DANCES in CRYO CHAMBER as ex-UFC star recovers from training ahead of Bare Knuckle debut (VIDEO)"All the negativity about 'Oh! My face!' Grow up," she said.
"It's a face, and it's mine, and I can do whatever I want with it - and guess what? I'm still going to be beautiful even if I get cut open. It's not a big deal.
"That's so condescending to think of your beauty as being important."