Although the “Queen of Bare-Knuckle” is returning home, Paige VanZant won’t be facing Bec Rawlings at BKFC 27 in London next month.
VanZant, who is 0-2 under the BKFC banner thus far, will instead face Charisa Sigala when the bare-knuckle outfit makes its British debut on August 20, 2022.
MMA Fighting was first to report news of the booking. VanZant later confirmed the match-up on social media.
Once a darling of the UFC, VanZant’s crossover success — having appeared on shows like Dancing with the Stars and Food Network’s Chopped — led her to jump ship once free agency hit, in pursuit of better pay than the UFC was willing to offer. That led to VanZant signing with BKFC and more recently pro wrestling’s AEW, while raking in money through Instagram and the risque paigefanzant.com as well.
While “12 Gauge” has remained in the spotlight, she’s struggled through two bare-knuckle bouts thus far. VanZant has gone the distance on both occasions, but dropped decisions to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich. The latter fight was a rematch from the pair’s 2019 UFC fight, which VanZant won via arm-bar.
Sigala is 1-2-1 under the BKFC banner, after posting a 4-2 record as a mixed martial artist. She’ll enter the fight with Paige VanZant coming off a draw in March against Angela Danzig.
