PAIGE VANZANT and Rachael Ostovich will renew their rivalry this weekend in the most glamorous fight in bare-knuckle boxing history.
The former UFC flyweights will trade heavy leather again early on Saturday morning in the main event of BKFC 19 in Tampa, Florida.
The pair, 27 and 30 respectively, locked horns with one another two-and-a-half years ago at UFC Fight Night 143 in Brooklyn.
PVZ got the better of the Ostovich that night at the Barclays Center, submitting her with a second-round armbar.
A lot has changed for both women since their first clash, and SunSport is on hand to give you the lowdown ahead of their second bout.
UFC PAST
Both VanZant and Ostovich were given their marching orders by the UFC in 2020.
MMA’s leading promotion opted against offering VanZant a new contract following her submission loss to Amanda Ribas last July.
Ostovich, meanwhile, was given the boot after her third-round TKO loss to Gina Mazany last November.
VanZant left the UFC with a record of eight victories and five defeats to her name, while Ostovich’s stood at 4-6 after her December release.
MONEYMAKERS
VanZant has made a pretty penny following the expiration of her contract with the UFC.
Not only did she sign a lucrative multi-fight deal with BKFC – who she claims pay her ten times more than what she earned in the octagon – she set up her own exclusive fan website.
And she recently claimed she’s made more money selling racy snaps and images on her site – which he launched in February – than she did in any of her previous fights.
She said: “I will say when I signed with BKFC, the bare-knuckle boxing, I was making more money than I had made in my entire UFC career.
“Now I’m making more money than my entire BKFC contract in like a month. It’s pretty crazy.”
Ostovich has also capitalised on the lucrative gig, launching her own member’s website in March.
Now I’m making more money than my entire BKFC contract in like a month
Paige VanZant on her members only website
RACY SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
As well as keeping fans updated with their training on social media, VanZant and Ostovich regularly use their social media accounts to post racy photos.
Whether it be bikini pictures or photos from modelling shoots, the pair aren’t shy in sharing titillating snaps with their legion of followers.
VanZant currently boasts a whopping 2.9million followers on Instagram, while Ostovich currently has just under 750,000.
BARE-KNUCKLE MOVE
BKFC moved quickly to snap up VanZant after it emerged the UFC would not renew her contract.
The promotion handed the American Top Team standout a lucrative multi-fight deal, which kicked off with her February showdown with Britain Hart.
VanZant came up short in her maiden BKFC outing, suffering a unanimous decision loss to veteran Hart.
Ostovich, meanwhile, was signed by BKFC in April, although she’s not yet competed for the promotion.
WHAT THEY’VE SAID
VanZant is expecting her second clash with Ostovich to not in any way resemble their first fight, saying: “Going into this, it’s not a rematch because it’s a completely different style of fighting.
“It’s bare-knuckle boxing, it’s not MMA… I’m not scared of how hard she hits because I’ve been hit by her before.”
Ostoovich said of her second encounter with PVZ: “I did feel like I was the better striker in our last fight.
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“I went into that fight, I had a broken orbital going into that fight so I wasn’t trying to stand with her, so I kept taking her down.
“There was a lot of grappling there.
“When I looked back at my fight with her, I wish I could have stood up more. I am excited for this boxing match because it is just stand up.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
