Artem Lobov has shared his thoughts on Paige VanZant’s move to BKFC.
VanZant had been competing under the UFC banner. She went 5-4 during her time with the UFC. VanZant was fighting on the final bout of her UFC contract in her last outing against Amanda Ribas back on July 12. VanZant ended up being submitted in the opening frame and she tested free agency. BKFC made a lucrative offer and “12 Gague” signed.
Speaking to James Lynch of MMANews.com, Lobov gave his reaction to VanZant’s decision to join the BKFC roster.
“Paige as a fighter, she’s a tough girl. Of course, it’s a much bigger risk for her than it is for me. I mean, let’s face it, I don’t really have much to lose in terms of looks. If anything is going to probably make me better looking than her. Of course, she can probably have a very successful career in modeling if she wanted to. And for her to commit to bare-knuckle, it’s not an easy decision. I take my hat off to her, and it’s great to see her in the sport. It’s only going to put more eyes on this great sport and it’s only going to make the sport bigger. In turn, it’s only going to make my paydays bigger. So thank you Paige for signing, welcome to the team. I look forward to watching her fight.”
Lobov knows a thing or two about bare-knuckle boxing. He is 2-1 under the BKFC banner. He has victories over former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi and Jason Knight. The lone loss was a rematch with Knight.
VanZant has said that her move to BKFC will allow her to focus solely on the standup. VanZant was submitted three times in her five pro MMA losses.