Paige VanZant will be face of Bare Knuckle FC with extra on-camera role, says president David Feldman
- BKFC president David Feldman plans side-gig on commentary or interviewing for VanZant, who will ‘get her feet wet’ with November fight debut
- ‘She’s mainstream, she’s an A-lister, she belongs in front of a camera,’ says Feldman, who promises to ‘build her brand aligned with ours’
Former UFC stand-out Paige VanZant has ditched her MMA gloves for a career with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. David Feldman, the organisation’s president, is understandably thrilled to have a star of her luminosity on his roster.
Over the years, Feldman has welcomed a host of combat sports notables such as Artem Lobov, Paulie Malignaggi, Wanderlei Silva and Shannon Briggs to the BKFC family. By his estimation, however, VanZant is the biggest acquisition the company has made.
“Not only was she a very popular UFC fighter, but she’s mainstream,” Feldman told SCMP MMA not long after VanZant signed on the dotted line. “I mean she’s an A-lister, she really is. For instance, Demi Lovato had a post [about VanZant] and said, ‘I didn’t think you could get any more savage than you already were’. She’s mainstream.
“Artem and Paulie did phenomenal for the company at a time that we needed them,” he added. “They helped us turn the corner. I’ll always take my hat off to them. But she’s more well-known and more widespread. So it’s definitely our biggest signing. It's great to be working with her not only in fighting, but in other things she may do with our organisation as well.”
The “other things” Feldman references were of particular importance to VanZant as she sought a new home for the next phase of her combat sports career.
