Former UFC fighter-turned-bare knuckle boxer Rachael Ostovich reacted after beating Paige VanZant at BKFC 19, saying “I had so much fun.”
Ostovich was the betting underdog against VanZant but she pulled off the upset when she won a unanimous decision over her former UFC rival in what was Ostovich’s bare-knuckle boxing debut. Ostovich and VanZant previously fought in the Octagon at UFC on ESPN+1: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw in January 2019, with VanZant winning the fight by submission. With VanZant having already experienced a BKFC fight when she lost to Britain Hart earlier this year, the oddsmakers and the betting public felt that PVZ should be favored to beat Ostovich, but the Hawaiian proved the doubters wrong as she took home the decision.
Taking to her social media following the victory, Ostovich reacted to picking up arguably the biggest win of her career over her longtime combat sports rival VanZant.
“Bare knuckle baby. 🔥 Too raw. 🤜🏼 I had so much fun last night. Thank you all for showing love while I showed out! Hope you enjoyed.👸🏻💜 #bkfc19 #bareknuckle” – Rachael Ostovich posted on Instagram
The win over VanZant should earn Ostovich another big-name opponent the next time she steps into the bare-knuckle boxing ring if that is what she desires. Although many fans had questions marks about Ostovich’s boxing skills, she did look quite good against VanZant in this fight and appears to have a future in BKFC if she so desires to do so. Having said that, after beating VanZant on such a big stage, it’s possible that Ostovich could earn more lucrative offers from other combat sports promotions, so she will likely have many options for her next fight after beating VanZant under the BKFC banner.
