Bare-knuckle pin-up rages after being pulled from fight card
Paige VanZant's pursuit of her first win inside the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ring will have to wait a little bit longer after the former UFC fighter-turned-OnlyFans-style model was axed from this weekend's BKFC fight card in London.
VanZant, 28, had been scheduled to fight MMA and bare-knuckle veteran Charisa Sigala in the English capital on Saturday, in a fight card topped by a battle between Bellator standout Michael 'Venom' Page and ex-UFC fighter Mike Perry, but has instead been left on the sidelines at the eleventh hour.
The precise reason for the fight falling apart remains unclear but a clearly frustrated VanZant revealed on social media that it wasn't because she pulled out.
“This is out of my control!!!” the clearly frustrated VanZant wrote online.
“I went an entire camp and weight cut to be pulled a week out!!!”
She added: “I did not pull from my fight!!! I was pulled! I am pissed off and heartbroken! I worked my f***ing ass off to be pulled a week before I am supposed to compete!!!!!”
THIS IS OUT OF MY CONTROL!!! I WENT AN ENTITE CAMP AND WEIGHT CUT TO BE PULLED A WEEK OUT!!!! pic.twitter.com/CFkDHp5K0y
— Paige VanZant (@paigevanzant) August 16, 2022
Reports online have suggested that VanZant's fight has been moved to a date in October, though this has yet to be confirmed by the promotion - and VanZant's messaging on social media certainly gave the impression that she hasn't been informed of a new date.
VanZant became one of BKFC's most high-profile signings when she inked a deal four-fight, $1 million deal with the company upon the expiration of her UFC contract.
However, her journey in the savage sport hasn't been an easy one. She was defeated by Britain Hart in her BKFC debut in February 2021, and also lost her second outing the following July to former UFC rival Rachael Ostovich.
Her recent run shows just one win and five defeats (across two different sports) dating back to the summer of 2016.
And speaking of one of his most expensive assets, BKFC president David Feldman said recently that VanZant's next fight is critical to her future in the sport.
“If Paige loses, her bare-knuckle career is definitely at an end,” he said to GiveMeSport.
“I mean, she did an interview and said there was no pressure on this fight.
“So, you know, if she feels there’s no pressure, then maybe, you know, maybe she’s very confident.
“But, you know, I can’t keep saying after every fight, we’ll see how she does.
“And that’s why if she doesn’t do well in this fight, If she doesn’t come out victorious, or at least look very, very good, then she’s probably at the end of her bare-knuckle career.”
