Paige VanZant’s time in the UFC may be over, but her next fighting endeavor will take place in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.
The news, which was first shared by ESPN, comes just over a month after her departure from the UFC following a loss to Amanda Ribas at UFC 251. Bellator had also been hoping to sign VanZant to their promotion, but the fighter turned it down, instead choosing to go with BKFC.
VanZant celebrated the news on Instagram, first hinting at a big change and then confirming that she’d be headed to BKFC:
Details about the contract are currently sparse, and we don’t know when or who VanZant will fight first.
BKFC has a growing women’s division, which includes champion Bec Rawlings, who’s undefeated for the promotion thus far. Now that VanZant is fighting for BKFC, fans will be hoping for a rematch — she defeated Rawlings by KO when they met in the UFC four years ago.
