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BKFC fighter Britain Hart is going to welcome the former UFC flyweight, Paige VanZant, into the world of bare-knuckle boxing. Hart and PVZ will headline the BKFC's 'Knucklemania' pay-per-view card on Friday. Here are three things that VanZant fans must know about her next opponent Britain Hart:
Paige VanZant is not going to be the first UFC fighter that Britain Hart has fought
The very first fight offer that BKFC presented Britain Hart was former UFC flyweight Bec Rawlings. The fight was a five-round back-and-forth battle where Rawlings won via a split decision. Even though the ruling was not in her favor, Britain Hart believed that her decision to fight bare-knuckled changed her life.
"It is something I would never change. It was a split decision loss which was unfortunate. I feel like if I would have changed one thing I would have won. But regardless, it did change my life. It put me in the right direction", said Britain Hart on her fight against Bec Rawlings.
What made Britain Hart drift into the sport of boxing?
Prior to swerving her career into pro-boxing, Britain Hart held aspirations of becoming a sports manager. She had completed her master's in Sports Management but legal troubles became a roadblock in her career. In her interview with Karyn Bryant, Hart revealed that the sport of boxing helped her pick herself up after having gone through a miserable phase.
"I kind of hit rock bottom. I needed an outlet to feel alive again; it was in a boxing gym. I really thought my life was over and did not have anything else. Boxing taught me how to fight back. It's like a cinderella story; the shoe fit perfectly"
Britain Hart refused BKFC's initial fight offers
When BKFC approached the up-and-coming boxer from Virginia, she expressed her interest to take on a career in boxing with 12-ounce gloves instead. Later in their second pitch, promoters urged Hart to hop on the opportunity as female combat sports is not thriving at the moment and this could be her chance at fame.
"When they first asked me to fight bare-knuckle, I said no. I said, 'No thanks for the opportunity but I am really trying to make myself something in boxing'. Then they hit me up again a couple of months later... its kind of like what every matchmaker is supposed to do. They made me believe, 'You hit harder. This is your chance to really be someone and be a star that we think you can be'.
