TAMPA, Fla. – Rachael Ostovich avenged her loss to Paige VanZant in emphatic fashion.
Ostovich defeated VanZant in the main event of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 19, which took place at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Friday night. Ostovich outpointed VanZant in a unanimous decision, winning with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 on the judges’ cards.
It’s was a rematch that stemmed from a January 2019 MMA bout when the two fighters met at UFC Fight Night 143. VanZant won the contest, submitting Ostovich with a second-round armbar.
The first two rounds were very competitive as both fighters were figuring out their timing and styles.
Ostovich landed big on VanZant, but the former “Dancing with the Stars” participant made sure to answer with solid shots of her own. They engaged in wild exchanges and clinched often with both fighters landing clean shots from the clinch. It was a high-paced contest.
In the third round, Ostovich clearly got ahead. She was constantly connecting her over-hand right while moving away from VanZant’s shots. VanZant was unable to find the target and Ostovich was constantly tagging her.
@paigevanzant and @rachaelostovich Toe The Line #BKFC19 pic.twitter.com/fV2ec02Wh4
— Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) July 24, 2021
The fourth and the fifth Ostovich kept the momentum. VanZant rallied back at times, but Ostovich was clearly ahead – even stunning VanZant at multiple times during the final four minutes.
VanZant made her bare-knuckle debut in February, losing a decision to Britain Hart. She’s now 0-2 since leaving the UFC and switching to BKFC.
Meanwhile, this bout marked Ostovich’s first fight since leaving the UFC in late 2020. She’s picked up her first win in combat sports since December 2017.
Below are the full BKFC 19 results:
- Rachael Ostovich def. Paige VanZant via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
- Arnold Adams def. Mick Terrill via knockout – Round 2, 0:38
- Britain Hart def. Jenny Savage via TKO – Round 3, 1:55
- Taylor Starling def. Cassie Robb via TKO – Round 1, 0:28
- Geane Herrera def. Abdiel Velazquez via TKO – Round 2, 0:14
- Blue Face def. Kane Trujilo via unanimous decision
- Nick Ireland def. DK Money via majority decision
- Evil Hero def. Dakota Olave via unanimous decision
- Terry Janoski def. Richard Carsten via TKO – Round 1, 1:55
- Antonio Soto def. Joshua Sikes via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47)
- Jared Warren def. Zion Tomlinson via knockout – Round 1, 1:14
- Jay Jackson def. Damon Bell via knockout – Round 3, 1:58
- Chris Jensen def. Kyle McElroy via TKO – Round 1, 1:27
- Jordan Nash def. Brandon Allen via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)