Paige VanZant may be inactive, but not done with fighting.
The former UFC star turned bareknuckle boxer assures that she will step into the ring once again, and maybe return to MMA. VanZant hasn’t been in action since July 2021 when she lost a unanimous decision to Rachael Ostovich in her second BKFC fight. She was scheduled to return at BKFC 27 in August 2022, but the fight was canceled days before the event. The promotion didn’t disclose a reason for the cancellation, but VanZant said that it was out of her control.
Yet, despite the inactivity and her lucrative work through OnlyFans, VanZant does see herself fighting again.
“It’s definitely bareknuckle still,” VanZant told MMA Fighting when asked about a return to fighting. “I don’t know if it’s down the road in six months, down the road in a year, I really just haven’t decided yet. I’m going to leave a lot of that up to my manager and my coaches, and just work on this time to get better, enjoy the training and not worry about signing a fight contract.
“But it’s definitely bareknuckle. I love bareknuckle boxing. I now have gotten 10 rounds in bareknuckle boxing, and I’m searching for that victory. I’m searching for a lot of things in bareknuckle still I feel I haven’t accomplished. It will definitely be with BKFC again.”
VanZant has only had two fights under the BKFC banner. Most of her fame in combat sports came from her years fighting in the UFC from 2014 to 2020. The 29-year-old hasn’t competed in MMA since 2020, her last UFC fight.
The focus is on BKFC for VanZant, but if she were to return to the cage, she would be interested in working with PFL.
“If I were to do MMA again, it would be definitely with the PFL,” VanZant said. “I love how they treat everybody, the organization is incredible. I’ve been loving doing commentary work for them and doing behind the scenes just because I like being on camera. So I’ve been having fun with that, but I do believe as of right now, I mean, just in my mind, if I were to do MMA it would be with the PFL.”
