Paige VanZant lost another attempt at bare knuckle boxing last night (Fri., July 23, 2021) at BKFC 19 live on FITE TV PPV from inside Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Fla., when “12 Gauge” fell short against former UFC opponent Rachael Ostovich. Despite it being Ostovich’s bare knuckle debut she did more than enough to capture a unanimous decision win in the high-profile main event.
Unfortunately for VanZant, the loss now leaves her at 0-2 under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner having lost her debut to Britain Hart back in February. VanZant had signed on with the promotion in 2020 in hopes of becoming one of its biggest draws. While she’s still a popular fighter VanZant needs to actually win inside of the ring to fully cash in. She has yet to do that, and even stormed out of the ring Friday night when the judges scores were announced and Ostovich had secured the win.
Following the loss, VanZant took to social media to deliver a message to her fans. It was brief, but the former UFC standout vowed to return and rise once again from defeat.
“I will rise. I will always rise. Don’t you doubt that even for a second,” wrote VanZant on her Instagram.
VanZant, who turned 27 this past March, has two fights left on her BKFC contract. With no plans to return to MMA in the immediate future she’s going to have to pick up the pieces and fight to finish out her current contract as a .500 bare knuckle fighter.
For complete BKFC 19 ‘VanZant vs. Ostovich 2’ results and coverage click HERE.