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Ex-UFC star Paige VanZant achieved crossover celebrity status as a UFC fighter, but now the 26-year-old American is set to make her promotional debut for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) in the main event of “KnuckleMania” this weekend. Paige vs. Britain Hart is the main event of the massive BKFC pay-per-view card on Friday, February 5 in Tampa, Florida.
It probably won’t make UFC president Dana White happy, but VanZant revealed in an exclusive interview with Heavy that she believes more UFC fighters will be heading out of that promotion soon.
“There are more fighters leaving the UFC,” VanZant said.
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VanZant Predicts More UFC Stars Will Follow Her
VanZant believes her recent departure, as well as that of ex-UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, will help show other popular UFC stars the way to go in regards to letting their UFC contracts expire so they can test the open market.
Last month, Pettis revealed virtually the same idea had led him to sign with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
During that interview, “Showtime” hailed his decision to fight out his UFC contract as “betting on himself”, and VanZant used the same kind of language about her own move.
“I was one of the first to go, but there’s going to be a few more,” VanZant said.
While VanZant said she was incredibly “grateful” for her opportunity to compete in the UFC, she also said she was looking forward to having a professional fighting “career” and not just a “hobby”.
“If you’re doing something you love and aren’t getting compensated for it, it’s a hobby, not a career,” VanZant said.
On the open market, VanZant found out pretty quickly she was worth a lot more than the UFC was willing to pay her.
So VanZant signed a four-fight deal with BKFC worth over a million dollars, and now the former “Dancing With The Stars” contestant is getting ready to participate in her first bare-knuckle boxing bout.
“I’m so happy to be part of BKFC. It feels like they really pulled out all the stops for Super Bowl weekend,” VanZant said.
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VanZant Believes UFC Benefits From Faulty Mindset Among Fighters
VanZant believes the UFC benefits from a mindset many MMA fighters carry around with them that tells them the UFC is the best and only place to be.
“There’s a mindset in the fight game that the UFC is the end-all, be-all,” VanZant said.
But VanZant said she wants to retire from combat sports someday, so she wants to make as much money as possible while she still can.
“We fight because we love it, but you want to hope at the end of your career that you can retire and not have to work a 9 to 5 job,” VanZant said.
The Florida native pointed out that even some of the most popular retired UFC fighters in history sometimes end up working day jobs when their UFC career is over. That’s not something VanZant wants for herself.
“We sacrifice our whole body and our whole lives for this sport,” VanZant said.
VanZant Was Happy With UFC, But Happier With BKFC
The popular icon stopped short of blasting her former promoter. In fact, VanZant was more interested in explaining her point of view and describing what she believes was best for her life.
“I loved being with the UFC. I was so fortunate it was such a huge portion of my career and life,” VanZant said.
In the end, VanZant simply suggested the decision she made to leave the company was the right one for her, and she hopes to see others at least consider the same kind of thing for themselves should they ever have that opportunity.
“It’s not necessarily a knock on the UFC. It’s more about finding out what your value is. How do you know unless you go find out?” VanZant said.
That’s what VanZant did, and she remains happy with her decision to leave the UFC as her first fight with BKFC looms this weekend.
“That was my goal in this. I didn’t know if I was going to leave the UFC or stay, but I wanted to know what my market value was, and I was able to find that,” VanZant said.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s KnuckleMania will be streamed live by FITE TV.
The action begins at 9 p.m. ET on February 5, and the pay-per-view price is $39.99.
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Paige VanZant Reveals: ‘There Are More’