Paige VanZant is still not giving up her combat sports aspirations despite being inactive for over two years. And while the female fighter said she still couldn’t provide a clear timeline of her return, she assured fans that her next bout will be under BKFC.
The former UFC flyweight fighter was supposed to return in August 2022, with the fight serving as her redeeming path after her three last losses in the UFC and BKFC. To recall, the fighter left the UFC after being defeated by Amanda Ribas via submission in 2020. After this, her debut in BKFC was immediately tainted with a loss from Britain Hart. It was later followed by another loss to Rachel Ostovich in 2021.
Now, VanZant is making a name online after making her OnlyFans account. As “12 Gauge” shared last month, her earnings in this work could exceed what she used to receive for fighting in a match. Nonetheless, the fighter knows she’s still not over her fighting career, sharing she’s still active in the gym and training.
“I’m only 29,” VanZant told MMA Fighting. “I think people forget I had a really long career at a young age. I’m still in my 20s. For me, I get to take my time, I get to train. I think a big part of what I had said in the Instagram video, I just want to get better.
“I never really since I started my career just focused on just getting better. I was always preparing to fight somebody or preparing for the next opportunity whereas now I’m just trying to get my skills better and beyond that, there’s just so many things I’m passionate about.”
Ultimately, VanZant is certain she will still return to her combat sports career. The fighter couldn’t provide the timeline of when this will happen but said that the next bout will be under BKFC.
“It’s definitely bare-knuckle, and I don’t know if it’s down the road in six months, I don’t know if it’s down the road a year,” VanZant said. “I really just haven’t decided yet. I’m going to leave a lot of that up to my manager and my coaches. Just work on this time to get better and enjoy the training and not worry about signing a fight contract right away. But it’s definitely bare-knuckle.”
