Paige VanZant briefly considered retiring from combat sports after her defeat at “Bare Knuckle FC: KnuckleMania”. After reflection, however, she thought better of it.
VanZant’s post-UFC career began on Friday with his transition to the world of naked boxing for a showdown with Britain Hart at the main event at Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson in Clearwater, Florida. She lost by unanimous decision, losing four of five rounds to her opponent in the 125-pound clash.
After choosing BKFC over other suitors like Bellator, VanZant placed high expectations on herself to play against Hart. The fight was not her way, and with that comes a natural level of disappointment.
In a social media post on Saturday, VanZant admitted that he thought briefly about retirement after his loss. That will not be the case, however, and she promised to get up again after a difficult time (via
The greatest test of courage on earth is to endure our defeat without being discouraged. Last night I told my husband that I didn’t want to fight anymore. But as soon as the words left my lips, I knew it wasn’t true. I am a fighter. That’s what I live for. Losers give up when they fail, winners fail until they succeed. That fight last night was a good learning experience for me. It took a while to discover the moment and the distance. But I felt that my last round was my best and I will build on that! I am grateful to fight for the best team in the world and we will go back and fix our mistakes. Thanks to Great Britain for competing last night and congratulations on your victory! I am also confident that we will meet again.
VanZant has not set a timetable for his future plans and when he will aim to get back to work. Her promoter, BKFC President David Feldman, told MMA Junkie that he would like to see her compete this summer, but intends to give VanZant all the time she needs to enter the right mental space.