Former UFC star turned bare-knuckle fighter Pearl Gonzalez has called for the "hottest fight" in boxing against Ebanie Bridges.
Gonzalez called for the fight with Bridges after the Australian became a world champion by outpointing IBF bantamweight titleholder Maria Cecilia Roman on Saturday night. It was Bridges' second world title shot having lost out to Shannon Courtenay last year.
Despite having fought professionally in boxing, Gonzalez has competed twice for bare-knuckle promotion BKFC. She won her debut for the promotion last year but lost her second fight to Britain Hart. She underwent surgery for injuries last December and only recently resumed started training again.
Gonzalez, who fought just twice for the UFC, called out Bridges after her recent win by writing: "One day I’m gonna fight Ebanie Bridges in boxing, it will be one of the hottest and biggest fights in women’s boxing!".
Bridges has drawn the attention of boxing fans by showing up to her weigh-ins in skimpy outfits. After winning her world title by a one-sided decision, she fired back at her critics in an expletive-ridden post-fight interview.
"I would like to say, 'Can I f****** fight or not?' F*** you guys who think I can't fight. I can f***ing fight. I can box, I can fight, and I can look hot on the scales so hopefully I've proved a lot of doubters wrong," she said.
"I feel proud of myself, and I feel extremely happy because it means everything I have sacrificed and all the work I've done has been worth it. This belt represents everything; all the heartbreaks, the sacrifice and all the training so I'm happy. She was a tough champion and she brought it so that meant I could do the stuff I love to do.
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"I love that kind of fight. I know it's not the fight we're supposed to have but I love those kind of fights because it's good for the fans. I'm about entertaining and for me that was so fun. It was tough, she was the champion and she brought it and that was awesome."
After being released by the UFC, Gonzalez continued her MMA career by competing for Invicta FC. She put together a string of wins and competed for the promotion's flyweight title, but lost a decision to Vanessa Porto.
Gonzalez does have amateur experience in boxing and has also trained with unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, who faces undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor next month.
