Tag: BKFC 19

Paige VanZant issues statement following BKFC 19 loss to Rachael Ostovich: ‘I will always rise’

Paige VanZant addressed her BKFC 19 loss in a short message via social media.

[autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] addressed her loss at BKFC 19 to Rachael Ostovich with a simple statement on social media late Friday evening.

After the scores were read and the winner of her main event bout on Friday was revealed to be her opponent, VanZant stormed out of the ring, clearly upset with the outcome of the bout.

After a hard-fought five-round battle against Ostovich, the former UFC strawweight and flyweight competitor found herself on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecards for the second time in a row in bareknuckle competition.

VanZant did not attend the post-fight press conference to address the media. Instead, she offered a short picture message on Instagram following the fight.

The image reads, “I will rise. I will always rise. Don’t you doubt that even for a second.” VanZant offered no additional caption, letting the short but simple message speak for itself.

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VanZant dove into the world of bareknuckle boxing earlier this year, taking on Britain Hart in the main event of BKFC: Knuckle Mania in February. Hart, who had a victorious outing on Friday evening against Jenny Clausius, defeated VanZant by unanimous decision.

Now winless in her two BKFC main events, the future for VanZant is unclear. Although she was competitive in both outings, her opponents were able to beat her to the punch and earn the judges’ favor.

Coincidentally, VanZant’s last victory in combat sports competition was against Ostovich at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January 2019.

Judging by her pre-fight comments and her social media message after the fight, VanZant likely isn’t finished with combat sports.

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Video: BKFC 19 Post-fight press conference

Watch the BKFC 19 post-fight press conference live from the Floirda State Fairgrounds in Tampa.

BKFC 19, which took place at the Florida State Fairgrounds, was headlined by a women’s flyweight bout between former UFC fighters [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] and [autotag]Rachael Ostovich[/autotag].

Watch the live BKFC 19 post-fight press conference above.

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Twitter reacts to Rachael Ostovich’s upset of Paige VanZant at BKFC 19

Check out the Twitter reacts to Rachael Ostovich’s win over Paige VanZant in the BKFC 19 headliner.

[autotag]Rachael Ostovich[/autotag]’s foray into the world of bare knuckle boxing was a success on Friday as she earned a redemptive victory over [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] in the BKFC 19 headliner.

The rematch of the UFC fight from January 2019 that VanZant won by submission was limited exclusively to fisticuffs, and in that element Ostovich got her revenge with a unanimous decision win.

e fight took place at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Fla., and saw VanZant fell to 0-2 with BKFC after dropping her debut to Britain Hart in March.

Check below for the top Twitter reacts to Ostovich’s win over VanZant in the BKFC 19 headliner.

Video: Brawl breaks out as fan attacks Blueface after celebrity exhibition bout at BKFC 19

A fan entered the BKFC ring and sparked a brawl after rapper Blueface won his celebrity exhibition fight.

TAMPA, Fla. – Another brawl broke out after the completion of a fight at a BKFC event.

On Friday evening, rapper Blueface defeated Kane Trujilo in a celebrity exhibition bout. The competitors in the three exhibition fights that took place during the event wore gloves unlike the rest of the card, but Blueface still landed a few punches without his gloves before leaving the ring.

MMA Junkie was on the scene and captured an exclusive video of the incident in the video above.

FiteTV also shared video on social media of what was captured on the broadcast:

As Blueface was celebrating his victory with BKFC president David Feldman, a fan entered the ring and got a little too close for comfort. The rapper appeared to land a hard right hand and a few other strikes before being separated.

Moments later, the security team subdued the man who sparked the incident, ultimately ending the situation.

Up-to-the-moment BKFC 19 results include:

  • Blueface def. Kane Trujilo via unanimous decision
  • Nick Ireland def. DK Money via majority decision
  • Evil Hero def. Dakota Olave via unanimous decision
  • Terry Janoski def. Richard Carsten via TKO – Round 1, 1:55
  • Antonio Soto def. Joshua Sikes via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47)
  • Jared Warren def. Zion Tomlinson via knockout – Round 1, 1:14
  • Jay Jackson def. Damon Bell via knockout – Round 3, 1:58
  • Chris Jensen def. Kyle McElroy via TKO – Round 1, 1:27
  • Jordan Nash def. Brandon Allen via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

 

Paige VanZant: Unlike Rachael Ostovich, ‘I know exactly what it’s gonna feel like fight night’

Having already competed once in bare-knuckle boxing, Paige VanZant thinks that’ll make all the difference vs. Rachael Ostovich.

TAMPA, Fla. – Having already competed once in bare-knuckle boxing, [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] thinks she’ll be a lot more acquainted than [autotag]Rachael Ostovich[/autotag].

VanZant meets Ostovich in the main event of Bare Knuckle FC 19 on Friday, a rematch of their January 2019 MMA bout that VanZant won by armbar submission. Although her BKFC debut didn’t go according to plan, VanZant says she now knows what to expect going into the fight, as opposed to Ostovich, who will be making her bare-knuckle boxing debut.

“I know that going into this fight there isn’t that question for me like what is it gonna feel like,” VanZant told MMA Junkie. “Am I gonna break my hands? Am I gonna cut open right away? There’s those questions of kinda like what’s it gonna feel like, one, emotionally, and two, physically. Now I don’t have those questions.

“I know exactly what it’s gonna feel like fight night. I know what I’m gonna go through, and I’m gonna know the whole plan the entire night. Whereas those are questions she might have, just wondering how this is all gonna go down in your first fight ever. It’s trying something brand new for their first time. It’s always a little scary.”

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After losing to Britain Hart in her promotional debut, VanZant made a lot of changes. She started working with renowned boxing trainer Pedro Diaz to sharpen her hands and is riding plenty of confidence heading into fight night.

“I took a lot of lessons from that,” VanZant said. “You really need experience in bare-knuckle boxing to be successful. Now that I have the experience, I have one fight under my belt, I continue to grow with this sport, with the division and with the organization. It’s unfortunate for Rachael. I feel like I made the moves after that last fight. I took a lot of lessons from it. I switched to Mundo Boxing with Pedro Diaz. I got one of the best boxing coaches in the world in my corner, and I haven’t stopped working since that fight. This is definitely a brand new fighter that you’re gonna see.”

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Now in a better place, Rachael Ostovich eager to avenge Paige VanZant loss at BKFC 19

With injuries and domestic violence behind her, Rachael Ostovich eager to avenge loss to Paige VanZant at BKFC 19.

TAMPA, Fla. – [autotag]Rachael Ostovich[/autotag] is taking on a familiar opponent, but everything else surrounding her upcoming bout is different.

The former UFC fighter headlines Friday’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 19 against Paige VanZant. It’s her first fight since leaving the UFC and her debut in bareknuckle boxing.

Ostovich had previously competed against VanZant in 2019 back when both fighters were competing in MMA and were signed to the UFC. VanZant defeated Ostovich via second-round armbar at UFC Fight Night 143.

But that first meeting had many tribulations for Ostovich. She entered the bout injured and was also dealing with a domestic violence case after she was assaulted by her then-husband just two months prior.

The circumstances surrounding the fight almost caused Ostovich to withdraw from the bout with VanZant, as she sustained a fractured orbital bone from the incident on top of the emotional distress.

Now that she’s in a much better place in her life, Ostovich is glad she gets to run back a fight with VanZant, who’s one of the most recognized names in women’s MMA.

“It’s been two and a half years since I fought Paige and I went through all of those crazy things, but as of right now I’m in such a much better place physically, emotionally, and spiritually, so I just want to keep it going that way,” Ostovich told MMA Junkie.

“The last time my training camp was horrible. I had a broken orbital (bone), I had a messed up shoulder – I was just messed up, period. But this time around I’m 100 percent. This training camp has been great. I’ve just been focusing on stand-up and that technique, so I’ve just been focusing on one martial art. Yeah, it’s been good.”

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Ostovich knows she’s fighting in a different sport and a different promotion, but competitively she does see the fight against VanZant as a rematch, which is one of the main reasons why she switched from MMA to bare-knuckle boxing.

“After the UFC, I got a lot of different offers but this one was very appealing,” Ostovich said. “They told me Paige VanZant, and yes, I want to get that one back. I know it’s a different sport, but running it back in a better environment and I’m not injured. I can’t wait.”

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Ahead of BKFC 19, Paige VanZant doesn’t look back on UFC days: ‘I don’t miss it at all’

Paige VanZant feels a return to MMA is unlikely and doesn’t miss her days in the UFC.

TAMPA, Fla. – One thing is clear in [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]’s career – she doesn’t miss her time in the UFC and she’s more than happy in her latest career venture.

The combat sports star is gearing up for her second bare-knuckle boxing bout this Friday, as she takes on fellow former UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich in the main event of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 19. VanZant signed with BKFC in August 2020 after having fought out her UFC contract the month before, putting an end to a six-year run with the premiere MMA organization in the world.

The 27-year-old is happy with her decision to have switched sports in her fighting career and in no way misses her time with the UFC, which was where she rose to prominence in combat sports.

“No, I haven’t looked back honestly,” VanZant told MMA Junkie. “I think you take those moments to look back when you think there might be something better in the past, but since I left, my future here, everything has just gotten better and better every single second.

“I’m so excited to be with BKFC. I love boxing. I love my new gym. I love everyone I train with. There’s nothing in the past that I miss. I always wondered, ‘Would I miss the UFC?’ I don’t. I don’t miss it at all. I love being here, I love boxing. My life has changed in all the best ways possible.”

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Although she might not miss MMA, VanZant is not ready to commit and close the chapter on it entirety. However, she does admit the chances of an MMA return are dwindling.

“It’s getting further and further away, honestly,” VanZant explained. “I feel like that’s a big part of my past that the door may be closed. I never like to say it because who knows, but right now I’m really loving just straight boxing.

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