Britain Hart Beltran gives respect to Paige VanZant for sticking it out with BKFC. She has completely different views on Taylor Starling, a BKFC vet.
Beltran faces Bec Rawlings for the second time on Friday at BKFC 26 in Hollywood, Fla. The 32-year-old began a massive 2021 campaign with a win over VanZant at KnuckleMania, and told MMA Fighting prior to her fight that she would be proud of the former UFC star if she fought out the remainder of her BKFC contract despite an 0-2 start.
BKFC said VanZant is slated to compete at the promotion’s event in August against a yet-to-be-revealed opponent, and Hart is proud of her former foe for sticking it out.
“Yeah, I think it’s really cool because she doesn’t have to,” Hart told MMA Fighting. “She’s got this big deal with AEW wrestling and at the end of the day, people can talk s***, but it’s about her. Is she happy doing it? That’s why I admire her for that. It’s giving people something to talk about. You’re not a quitter. Your contract is not over. Even if you lose and go 0-3, hey, you’re not a quitter and you’ll always have that.
“I think she wins and I think she works hard. She seems to give a lot, no matter what she does. She will hopefully win an opponent in England and walk away holding her head high. It’s good .”
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On the other side is Starling. Starling stopped Jenny Savage like Beltran and was one the brightest stars at BKFC 19 July 2021, when she defeated Cassie Robb in 28 second. At the event’s post-fight press conference, Beltran and Starling sat next to each other with arms around each other, smiling and putting each other over. They told BKFC President David Feldman they would fight each other, but it would cost the promotion.
Less than a year later, the friendship is no more, and from Beltran’s side, it stemmed from an interview with Starling prior to Beltran’s unanimous decision win over Pearl Gonzalez at November’s BKFC 22 event.
“It’s pretty sad, but I’m 100 percent real all the time, and I’ll say it how it is,” Beltran said. Taylor and me were good friends. We trained together.
“It was the Pearl Gonzalez fight that ruined our relationship because, I don’t really troll the internet, other people do it for me, and people like to stir the pot. They would send me screenshots of Jenny Savage, Christine Ferea, ‘Look what these people said.’ So someone sent this screenshot and the video asking her who would win, me or Pearl, and she said, ‘I may get a little bit of grief for this, but I’m picking Pearl.’ That’s the moment for me — and it may sound petty, but I don’t care because this is me — if we’re friends, and train together, you pull for that person.
“If you don’t want to say, don’t say it, or say, the best girl is going to win. If someone had asked me, who is going to win, Christine or Taylor — even if I know Christine is going to smash Taylor — I’d say Taylor has the skills, she works really hard, and anything can happen in bare knuckle. If you doubt me or think that I will lose, you are not needed around me. Your energy is not important to me because my life is too short and I have a small circle
While Beltran is preparing to face Rawlings and bounce back from her championship loss to Ferea at KnuckleMania 2, Starling is getting her title opportunity against Ferea in the main event of BKFC 27 on Aug. 27. Having trained with Starling, and having fought Ferea on two different occasions, Beltran is predicting one-way traffic for the champion, and a very short night for the challenger and her former friend.
” I love that the sport is so unpredictable. But, I will say it’s my goal to beat Bec Rawlings. I also want to become the first woman to do that. Hart said that if that doesn’t happen June 24,, I believe the job will be completed in New Mexico on August 27.
” I’m not convinced it makes it past the first round. Let that motivate you: [Taylor] doesn’t get out of the first round.
