“She’s making a lot of money doing her other businesses and maybe she doesn’t want to do this anymore.”
Former UFC star Paige VanZant has so far been 0-2 in her bare-knuckle boxing stint. “12 Gauge” was set for her third fight under BKFC in August, but was forced out of the scheduled contest due to “logistical reasons.”
The 28-year-old has yet to finalize her next bare-knuckle boxing bout. But BKFC president David Feldman is also looking at the possibility that VanZant may choose to not return to action.
“I’m going to be talking to her this week and there’s a possibility that she returns on a big card we’ve got in April. If she doesn’t, then it’s probable that she won’t be coming back to BKFC,” Feldman told Mirror Fighting.
“She’s making a lot of money doing her other businesses and maybe she doesn’t want to do this anymore. I will find out this week.”
For Feldman, VanZant’s next career move lies heavily on her motivation rather than money. VanZant, who signed a supposed multi-million dollar deal with BKFC in 2020, once claimed to be earning more with her social media posts than with fighting.
“She is definitely welcome with the organization, it’s just a matter of what she wants to do. I think this helps her other revenue streams, it gives her notoriety to be able to get fans for her other revenue streams.
“I don’t think she’s going to turn it down because of money, I think the only reason she would turn it down is if she doesn’t have the desire to fight anymore.”
Ultimately, Feldman has been satisfied with his decision to sign VanZant, as he feels it benefitted all parties involved.
“She got paid significantly more with BKFC than she got in the UFC. Signing her made sense to me because everybody said why does this cover model want to get punched in the face with bare knuckles. The intrigue and curiosity factor got them to tune in.
“It may have not worked for someone else but it worked for me. I got my money’s worth out of her and if I had the opportunity to do the exact same thing all over again I would do it. Here was Paige VanZant, people were talking about her but she came over to bare-knuckle and she’s now making significant money.”
VanZant’s last BKFC appearance happened in July 2021 against fellow UFC veteran Rachael Ostovich. She lost via unanimous decision.