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      Paige VanZant’s bare-knuckle career ‘DEFINITELY’ over if ex-UFC star loses fight return against Charisa Sigala in London

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      PAIGE VANZANT’s bare-knuckle boxing career will be “OVER” if she loses her upcoming clash with Charisa Sigala.The former UFC fly and strawweight has gone 0-2 since inking a lucrative deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships in August 2020.
      Paige VanZant will clash in the co-main event of BKFC 27 in London on August 20Credit: BKFC
      VanZant has yet to taste victory in the BKFC ringCredit: GETTY
      VanZant has gone 0-2 in the promotion since signing in 2020Credit: BKFC
      VanZant has earned a pretty penny during her stint in the bare knuckle promotionCredit: PAIGE VANZANT
      The 28-year-old has banked a whopping £680,000 in her two BKFC fightsCredit: PAIGE VANZANT
      Consecutive losses to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich have put VanZant’s back up against the wall ahead of her BKFC London clash with Sigala on Saturday week – which promoter Dave Feldman admits is a must-win for the 28-year-old.
      He told GiveMeSport: “If Paige loses, her bare knuckle career is definitely at an end.
      “I mean, she did an interview and said there was no pressure on this fight.
      “So, you know, if she feels there’s no pressure, then maybe, you know, maybe she’s very confident.
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      “But, you know, I can’t keep saying after every fight, we’ll see how she does.
      “And that’s why if she doesn’t do well in this fight, If she doesn’t come out victorious, or at least look very, very good, then she’s probably at the end of her bare-knuckle career.”
      VanZant’s pain of consecutive defeats in the BKFC ring has been softened by her astronomical purses.
      The American Top Team standout has banked a whopping £670,000 for her last two outings – which dwarf her total octagon earnings.
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      Ahead of her debut last year, PVZ said: “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.”
      Sigala – who has also competed in mixed martial arts – is relishing the opportunity to send VanZant out the BKFC exit door.
      She said: “This event is going to be a big part of BKFC history, and I’m really excited to be a part of it.
      “Fighting at Knuckle Mania in 2021 made me a part of that historic event.
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      “I didn’t fully recognize the significance of that in my debut, but I’m very aware of it heading into London.
      “This is another huge opportunity to be a part of BKFC history.”
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      Meet Paige Van Zant’s next bare-knuckle opponent Charisa Sigala who shares x-rated pictures and goes to war in the ring

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      PAIGE VAN ZANT is not the only Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star prepared to leave little to the imagination online. Charisa Sigala, who faces VanZant in London next Saturday, wows fans of her own on social media and even has an OnlyFans account.
      Charisa Sigala fights Paige VanZant in LondonCredit: Instagram / @charisa_sweetheart
      Charisa Sigala has an OnlyFans account of her ownCredit: Instagram / @charisa_sweetheart
      Charisa Sigala has had three BKFC boutsCredit: BKFC via Instagram / @charisa_sweetheart
      Sigala meets Paige van Zant in the ring nextCredit: Instagram @paigevanzant
      But looks can be deceiving as Sigala is a ruthless fighter, not afraid to trade heavy blows in the ring.
      She has a win, loss and draw in her three BKFC bouts, recently drawing against Angela Danzig in March.
      Sigala, 38, returns at Wembley Arena in the biggest fight of her life against ex-UFC prospect VanZant.
      It features on a packed card which is headlined by Bellator welterweight Michael Venom Page, 35, and former UFC contender Mike Perry, 30.
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      Sigala said: “This event is going to be a big part of BKFC history, and I’m really excited to be a part of it.
      “Fighting at Knuckle Mania in 2021 made me a part of that historic event.
      “I didn’t fully recognize the significance of that in my debut, but I’m very aware of it heading into London.
      “This is another huge opportunity to be a part of BKFC history.” 
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      VanZant lost to Britain Hart in her BKFC debut and was then defeated by Rachael Ostovich – who she beat in the UFC – last July.
      So the American part-time professional wrestler is looking for her first win in the ring.
      Cynical fans dubbed her bout with Sigla the “OnlyFans Championship” due to their subscription-based accounts.
      But speaking to the Daily Star, VanZant, 28, hit back: “I don’t know if I have a reaction to that.
      “I mean, you have to understand that both my opponent and me are two females doing what a lot of people cannot do.
      “You know, 99.9% of the world would never have a boxing match, let alone a bare knuckle boxing match.
      “So, we are doing something nobody else can do. I see it as I’ve been extremely successful in a lot of things, and there is a reason that I choose to fight. I get to make it a choice.
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      “A lot of people have to do these things, they have to wake up and go to work.
      “But I get to do whatever I want, because I have been extremely smart financially. I am really lucky that I get to go out and do what I love.”
      Paige VanZant lost her opening two BKFC fightsCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Paige VanZant lost her bare-knuckle debut to Britain HartCredit: @bareknucklefc More

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      Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk kicks-off incredible night of combat sports including UFC and bare knuckle

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      FIGHT fans are in for a feast on August 20 as a night packed full of combat sports awaits.A host of boxing and MMA events take place across Britain and America.
      Anthony Joshua was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk last SeptemberCredit: GETTY
      But with so much on offer, fans may be forced to pick and choose what they watch live.
      With the help of SunSport, we break down the blockbuster night of bouts.
      Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2, Saudi Arabia
      Joshua, 32, rematches the Ukrainian pound-for-pound great, 35, in Jeddah, following his loss last September.
      For most, this is the pick of the night, with AJ potentially fighting to save his career and regain the heavyweight belts.
      On the undercard, ex-world champion Badou Jack features, as does Callum Smith and even YouTuber Money Kicks – real name Rashed Belhasa.

      Oleksander Usyk and Anthony Joshua rematch in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Mark Robinson
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      BKFC 27: Michael Venom Page vs Mike Perry, London
      Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship make their UK debut at Wembley Arena.
      Headlining is Bellator MMA star Venom Page, 35, against ex-UFC welterweight Mike Perry, 30.
      Former UFC contender-turned pro wrestler Paige VanZant, 28, also returns in her third BKFC fight, looking for a first win,when she takes on Charisa Sigala.
      Michael Venom Page and Mike Perry ahead of their BKFC clashCredit: Jamie McPhillimy / BKFC
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      Professional Fighters League semi-finals, London
      Also making their first trip across the pond is the PFL, MMA’s only league which consists of qualification and knockout rounds.
      London hosts the third and final semis of the year where the men’s featherweights and women’s lightweights are in action.
      Manchester’s Brendan Loughnane faces bitter American rival Chris Wade while double Olympic gold medallist Kayla Harrison tops the Copper Box bill.
      Brendan Loughnane fights Chris Wade in his PFL semi-finalCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      UFC 278: Usman vs Edwards 2, Salt Lake City
      A potentially historic night for British MMA awaits as Leon Edwards, 30, rematches welterweight title holder Kamaru Usman, 35, in Utah.
      Not since Michael Bisping, 44, has a UFC fighter from these shores held the gold.
      Usman beat Edwards in 2015 but a lot has changed since then, meanwhile Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold co-headlining with Jose Aldo also returning.
      Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards rematch at UFC 278Credit: Getty
      Adrien Broner vs Omar Figueroa Jr, Florida
      Broner – nicknamed The Problem – is back after over a year out of the ring and fights Figueroa.
      The four-division champ beat Jovanie Santiago in February 2021 but troubles outside the ring left him sidelined.
      Broner, 33, is looking for one more crack at the big time and his personality and flashy style is still a big hit with fans.
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      ‘I don’t like it’ – Mike Tyson’s ex-manager admits fear over Jake Paul fight and reveals Evander Holyfield trilogy talks

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      MIKE TYSON has been warned by his ex-manager against a fight with Jake Paul after talks for a trilogy with Evander Holyfield collapsed. The youngest heavyweight champion of all time in November 2020 made a shock boxing comeback.
      Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were in talks for a trilogy fightCredit: Rex Features
      Jake Paul was linked with a fight against Mike TysonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      He drew over eight exhibition rounds with fellow legend Roy Jones Jr, 53, and was soon being called out for more cash-grab spectacle bouts.
      Tyson, now 56, is yet to fight again and appeared ready to leave his surprise return as a one-off ring cameo.
      Although that was until YouTuber-turned boxer Paul campaigned to face the American idol, who is over 30 years older.
      Both boxing stars have opened the door to what would surely be a pay-per-view blockbuster, despite the age gap.
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      But Hall of Fame manager Shelly Finkel, who worked with Tyson up until his retirement in 2005, is among those dead against it.
      Finkel told SunSport: “I don’t like it. But, Mike has his own mind, if he asked me, I’d tell him my opinion.” 
      Paul has made a name for himself in the fight game since winning his professional debut against online rival “AnEsonGib” in January 2020.
      He followed that up 11 months later by brutally knocking out ex-NBA player Nate Robinson, 38, on Tyson’s undercard.
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      Paul progressed with wins over former UFC pair Ben Askren, 38, and Tyron Woodley, 40, first on points and then KO.
      But he is yet to face an opponent with a recognised boxing record following cancelled bouts with Tommy Fury, 23, and Hasim Rahman Jr, 31.
      Tyson meanwhile has continued to tease another fight with training pictures and videos.
      He was in talks for another rematch with Holyfield, 59, who made a return of his own last September.
      But after being shamefully bashed around the ring by ex-UFC champ Vitor Belfort, 45, talk of the already unwanted trilogy faded away.
      Finkel revealed: “He actually reached out for me and then I spoke after that fight about trying to put the Holyfield fight together. 
      “It never happened, and after the way Holyfield looked with the MMA guy, that was over.” 
      Jake Paul and Mike Tyson have agreed to fight each otherCredit: Twitter @jakepaul More

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      Floyd Mayweather, 45, ‘gearing up to start camp’ for next exhibition fight on September 25 against ‘dangerous’ MMA star

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      FLOYD MAYWEATHER is “gearing up to start camp” for his next exhibition fight. The boxing legend announced he will face Japanese MMA star Mikuru Asakura on September 25 in Tokyo.
      Floyd Mayweather training for his next exhibition
      Floyd Mayweather is set to face Mikuru Asakura on September 25 in JapanCredit: Getty
      And Mayweather appears ready to start preparations after his coach Gerald Tucker uploaded a video of the American doing sit ups.
      Tucker posted: “Working out is a lifestyle for us; so we don’t have to be around each other in order to get it in. We’re both there spiritually!!
      “@floydmayweather is gearing up to start camp in a couple weeks to get ready for an exciting exhibition on Sept. 25TH in Japan vs their biggest and most popular MMA fighter who’s a very sharp and dangerous striker.”
      Asakura, 30, has 16 wins and just three losses in his MMA career, with eight knockouts.
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      His background is in karate and he most recently beat Yutaka Saito, 34, on points in December.
      Whereas Mayweather, 45, has boxed in three exhibitions since retiring in 2017 after beating UFC superstar Conor McGregor, 34.
      They came against featherweight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, 23, YouTuber Logan Paul, 27, and ex-sparring partner Don Moore.
      And the newly-inducted Hall of Famer recently opened the door to coming back and putting his illustrious 50-0 record on the line.
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      He told FightHype: “I got three more exhibitions this year, could be one fight and two exhibitions.
      “But guess what, you better know it’s at least and this is the lowest I’m talking about $200million.”
      It comes amid rumours Mayweather is currently negotiating a rematch with McGregor.
      Floyd Mayweather is in rumoured talks to rematch Conor McGregorCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      UFC champ Kamaru Usman prefers to ‘gamble’ with £83m boxing switch against Canelo Alvarez instead of Jake Paul

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      UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman admits he’d prefer to “gamble” in the boxing ring with Canelo Alvarez than Jake Paul.The UFC’s pound-for-pound king has been calling for a clash with undisputed super-middleweight king Canelo for close to a year but has yet to seriously get the Mexican’s attention.
      UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman wants to test himself in the boxing ringCredit: GETTY
      Usman is eager to test himself against former pound-for-pound king CaneloCredit: GETTY
      The prospect of facing YouTuber Jake Paul doesn’t interest The Nigerian NightmareCredit: AFP
      Usman, however, has also been subjected to multiple taunts from YouTuber turned boxer Paul during that time – although the social media star has done little to entice The Nigerian Nightmare to fight him.
      During an appearance on The Athlete Podcast, Usman said: “Me fighting Jake Paul, I’m helping him.
      “I beat Jake Paul, nobody cares. You’re supposed to beat him. I still get a bank account now, I still get that.
      “I beat Canelo, biggest athlete in the world, not even close, 100 million in the bank. If I’m gonna gamble, I’m gonna gamble well.”
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      Former Disney star Paul has made serious waves in the boxing world since making his pro debut in January 2020.
      The Problem Child brutally knocked out former UFC 170lb champ Tyron Woodley – who Usman dethroned in March 2019 – in the sixth round of their rematch last December.
      Usman said of the YouTuber: “Absolutely [fighting Jake Paul is a risk]. Listen, me and him get in a scrap right now, he could touch me.
      “I’m not naive or ignorant enough to think – let them put it on the news. I’m a realist.
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      “I know I’m gonna dog walk him, but at the same time, everyone has a puncher’s chance.”
      Usman’s eagerness to test himself against Canelo stems from his desire to become “the face of fight game”.
      The UFC star recently told SunSport said: “Obviously, the bigger the dream, the bigger the manifestation.
      “And the more it scares me, the more I’m willing to prepare and go through [hell] to achieve it.
      “It’s no surprise. Canelo is a tall glass for anybody – a tall pint.
      Fighting Canelo scares and excites Kamaru UsmanCredit: AFP
      “And it scares me, it scares me to death. But the real reason [I want the fight] is: I wanted to be welterweight champion, I got it.
      “I wanted to be pound-for-pound, I got it.
      “I always thought this phrase was special, and the phrase that I’m after now is: ‘The Face of the Fight Game’.
      “And Canelo, right now, can’t say [he’s the face of the fight game].
      “Yeah, he’s the face of boxing, but he can’t say he’s the face of the fight game.
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      “And I can’t claim to that as well. So, there’s only one way for me to stake claim to that.
      “And that’s taking on something that seems astronomically impossible to everyone, except myself.”
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      Logan Paul says Tommy Fury ‘made the right decision’ to pull out against brother Jake and avoid embarrassing KO loss

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      LOGAN PAUL said Tommy Fury “made the right decision” not to fight his brother Jake and avoid a potentially embarrassing knockout loss.Fury has twice withdrawn from facing Jake, firstly after suffering a broken rib in training and most recently amid a US visa issue.
      Jake Paul pictured with older brother LoganCredit: Amanda Westcott
      Tommy Fury has twice pulled out of fighting Jake PaulCredit: PA
      But the Paul brothers cast doubt over the fight cancellations while discussing it on the Impaulsive podcast.
      Logan, 27, said: “I told you, and I told you so, before you took the fight with Tommy, I recognise flake behaviour.
      “And the first time he pulled out from your guys’ fight, that to me smelt like flake behaviour, not like on some serious s***.
      “And the second time when you said you wanted to fight him, I like it, I like the fight, but the man just doesn’t have it in him.
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      “He doesn’t have that fire that his older brother has.”
      Jake, 25, responded: “I think it hits him when the pressure starts to build and the fight’s actually confirmed, then he’s like, ‘Wow, I have to go up against this kid’.
      “And he’s fought all easy people that are put in there to lose. So when there’s a real killer against you, I think that pressure sets in.”
      Logan said: “Regardless of whether or not it’s an excuse, and the fact that it did happen and it’s extremely embarrassing and he is kind of tainting the Fury name, I think he made the right decision.
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      “Because, he can pull out and everyone can tell him he’s scared and, ‘You’re a p****, you’re living in your brother’s shadow’. Whatever.
      “But that’s not as bad as being cold-clocked, knocked out on the canvas by you. Think about that.
      “That lasts forever, dude. This is just going to be a window of time, for like a year people are going to be like, ‘Tommy, you backed out’ or whatever.”
      Jake added: “It’s bad for him, man. He’s a clown, but it is smart, if we would fight, he’d be knocked out.”
      Fury’s first withdrawal came last December, leaving Paul to KO Tyron Woodley, 40, in a rematch having beaten him on points four months prior.
      It added to wins over YouTuber “AnEsonGib”, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 38, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 38.
      Fury, 23, was due to be Paul’s first opponent with a recognised boxing record until their latest grudge match axe.
      Hasim Rahman Jr, 31, was drafted in as a replacement to fight on August 6 at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
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      But a weight disagreement between the two forced the event to be scrapped on just one week notice.
      As revealed by SunSport, Paul is now eyeing a boxing return in October.
      Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr before their fight cancelationCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      ‘I would love to’ – Jake Paul called out to fight by Tito Ortiz but UFC legend admits he is an ‘AMATEUR’ in boxing

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      TITO ORTIZ is open to a fight against Jake Paul – but the UFC legend admitted he is an “AMATEUR” when it comes to boxing. Ortiz held the UFC light-heavyweight title from 2000-2003 and most recently fought in MMA against ex-WWE star Alberto Del Rio in 2019.
      Tito Ortiz was beaten by Anderson Silva in September 2021Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Jake Paul was called out by Tito OrtizCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      But the American, 47, made a shock switch to the ring last September, losing to MMA great Anderson Silva, also 47.
      It leaves Ortiz winless in the ring but still refusing to rule out a bout with YouTuber-turned prizefighter Paul, 25.
      He said on Chris Van Villet’s podcast: “I would love to. That’d be amazing.
      “That would be fun. Once again, I have an 0-1 record, he has a [5-0] record. I still feel like I’m an amateur in boxing.
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      “I do a lot in mixed martial arts, but I still feel myself as an amateur but I’m competitive. I’m very competitive.”
      Ortiz is yet to return since his first-round knockout loss to Silva.
      Whereas Paul most recently knocked out Tyron Woodley, 40, last December, four months after beating the ex-UFC champ on points.
      He also has KOs over online rival “AnEsonGib”, ex-NBA player Nate Robinson, 38, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 38.
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      Paul was set to face Hasim Rahman Jr, 31, in his comeback fight on August 6 at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
      But a weight disagreement between the two forced the entire MSG event to be cancelled only a week out.
      As revealed by SunSport, Paul is now eyeing a return in October for his sixth professional bout.
      Rahman was due to be his first opponent with a recognised boxing record after Tommy Fury, 23, twice pulled out, with injury and a visa issue.
      Jake Paul and Hasim Rahman Jr before their fight cancelationCredit: Getty Images – Getty More