Paige VanZant believes she has a new lease on life since breaking away from MMA.
VanZant had competed under the UFC banner from late 2014 through mid-2020. Towards the end of her run with the promotion, VanZant said she was making significantly more money through Instagram sponsorships than she was fighting for the UFC. Here’s what she told Ariel Helwani back in 2019.
“I make way more money sitting at home, posting pictures on Instagram than I do fighting. When I did my contract negotiation the last time, the talk was, ‘I can’t pay you more than a female champion.’ Okay, but why are comparing me to just women? All of us should be getting paid more in general.”
VanZant was submitted by Ribas and ended up signing with BKFC. With the new contract, VanZant officially made the move from MMA to bare-knuckle boxing.
VanZant claims to make 10 times more money with BKFC than she did with the UFC.
“I’m here for a reason. I was in the UFC for six years getting paid $40,000 (to show) and $40,000 (to win), and now I’m getting 10 times that doing what I love. So obviously, I’m not going anywhere. I’m very happy fighting here and I’m excited to fight.”
Responding to a fan on social media, “12 Gauge” insisted that leaving MMA competition behind was one of the best decisions she has ever made.
“I left MMA and my life finally began.”
VanZant is set to meet her old UFC foe, Rachael Ostovich at BKFC 19 on July 23.
