Paige VanZant was originally scheduled to make her return to bare-knuckle competition in August, but her fight was cancelled, and the expectation was that she would be rebooked before the end of 2022.
Unfortunately, no fight was ever rescheduled, and VanZant has kept busy lately with endeavors outside of fighting, including a highly lucrative personal website and OnlyFans page. According to BKFC president Dave Feldman, VanZant is invited back to compete for the bare-knuckle promotion again with a possible date in early 2023, though he’s still not entirely sure it will happen.
” We were discussing putting her on KnuckleMania [in February],, and we’re going be talking with her manager again next week,” Feldman said to MMA Fighting. We’ll watch what happens. I’d love to have her back if she wants to come back and fight and test herself one more time.
“She does other jobs and is doing well and earning a lot. It’s not clear to me. She can come back if she wishes, but it’s not certain if she will. She does have a place her. We’ll see shortly.”
VanZant joined the BKFC roster initially in 2020, after she signed a multi-fight contract.
She suffered back-to-back decision losses in her first two fights with the promotion with her last outing coming against fellow UFC veteran Rachael Ostovich in July 2021. VanZant had been expected to fight Charisa Sigala on August, but the fight was cancelled and not rebooked.
While VanZant may be given another chance, Feldman says that with all the extra money she makes outside of the sport, he cannot say for sure if she will fight again for BKFC.
“There certainly is a chance [she won’t fight for BKFC again],” Feldman said. She’s doing well. She’s very successful at her other path that she followed right now. Financially, she’s doing very, very well.
“Yes, is there a chance? There is a possibility [she doesn’t fight again].. Paige’s competitive nature doesn’t make her want to do this, so it is unlikely that she will return. .”
While it’s unknown how much money VanZant earns from her private website and her OnlyFans page, the 28-year-old fighter previously told MMA Fighting she could retire immediately and never work another day in her life.
Despite this fact, she has always been determined to continue her fight career. However, there is no timeline for when it might occur.
“Theoretically I could [retire],” VanZant told MMA Fighting in July. “I don’t have to fight another day in my life. It’s an athlete thing, and some people wouldn’t understand it. If you ask LeBron James why do you still play basketball? You don’t need to. Why do all these NBA players, NFL players get to a point in their career like Tom Brady — he doesn’t need to play football anymore, but why does he? Because he’s the greatest of all time, because he wants to continue to compete. He does it because it’s his passion. He is a believer in it.
“I don’t compare myself to those people and their greatness, but definitely to their drive to want to continue to be successful. I think that this is a part of my personality .”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/19/23511757/paige-vanzant-welcome-compete-bkfc-again-shes-doing-very-very-well-financially-outside-of-fighting?rand=96749
