Paige VanZant and Rachel Ostovich to rematch at BKFC 19

Paige VanZant (8-5 MMA, 0-1 Bare Knuckle) will be making her second appearance for BKFC in July. Bare Knuckle announced that VanZant would be taking on BKFC newcomer Rachel Ostovich (4-6 MMA).

The matchup will be a part of a big card at BKFC 19 which takes place on July 23rd. For Ostovich, this is going to be her first Bare Knuckle Boxing matchup. BKFC signed the former UFC fighter earlier this year after the UFC let her go.

Ostovich made her octagon debut on The Ultimate Fighter and won her first UFC matchup at The Ultimate Finale. However, after that lone victory, Ostovich lost her next three fights inside the octagon. All three of those losses came via stoppage.

After those losses, the UFC let her go. However, she didn’t remain on the market long as BKFC swooped right in and signed her to a deal. Like VanZant, Ostovich is known more for her social media presence opposed to her actual fighting.

Nevertheless, it takes guts to get in there and compete especially in BKFC. This fight is actually a rematch from January 2019. That night, Ostovich lost to Paige VanZant by second round armbar.

PVZ – BKFC Take 2

When Paige VanZant signed with BKFC, it was massive news. Bare Knuckle was looking for a way to get into the main stream and they saw PVZ as their ticket with how popular she is.

Despite going just 1-3 in her previous four matchups in the UFC, BKFC signed VanZant to a lucrative multi-fight deal. PVZ made her BKFC debut against Britain Hart back on February 5th.

Much to the disappointment of the promoters, VanZant came up short against Hart. Hart looked much more fluid in there and was beating PVZ to the punch all night. Frankly, she just looked like the better boxer.

In her first fight against Ostovich, VanZant really showed off her skills on the ground. Of course, at BKFC 19, she’s not going to be able to use her ground skills. It’s not a die-hard fight fans dream, but you have to imagine there will be a lot of viewers on July 23rd.