AEW’s Paige VanZant not leaving BKFC, companies to work together

  • Ian Carey
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Paige VanZant’s bare knuckle fighting career isn’t over just yet. 

Despite signing with AEW, the 27-year-old is still expected to continue competing for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC). She has fought twice for the promotion since signing there in the summer of 2020. 

“Paige is still under contract with BKFC,” BKFC officials said to MMA Fighting. “The companies will work together to build her career.”

According to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, VanZant is expected to begin training at Coastal Championship Wrestling in Pompano Beach, Florida. The school is run by David Heath, aka Gangrel.

Although it is not known when VanZant will fight for BKFC again, company president Dave Feldman told MMA Fighting in January he was hoping she would be scheduled for a bout in April or May. 

The former UFC fighters is 0-2 in her bare knuckle boxing career thus far, having dropped fights to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich. VanZant had previously defeated Ostovich in a 2019 UFC fight.