5 former UFC fighters who transitioned to bare-knuckle boxing

#2. Artem Lobov - Former UFC featherweight

Artem 'The Russian Hammer' Lobov rose to fame by competing on season 22 of the UFC's reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. Lobov was selected to be a part of Conor McGregor's team. Artem is also a close friend and training partner of the Irishman. 'The Russian Hammer' made it to the show's finale, coming up short against Ryan Hall in the end.

Artem Lobov competed in the UFC seven times, amassing a record of 2-5. His last UFC fight was in 2018, when he lost via unanimous decision to Michael Johnson. This led to his release from the UFC.

However, Lobov did not rest on his laurels. In 2019, he accepted a bare-knuckle boxing match against Jason Knight, another former UFC fighter. The fight was his first for popular bare-knuckle boxing promotion BKFC. Lobov defeated Knight and went on to pick up a victory over former pro-boxer Paulie Malignaggi.

However, since then, Lobov has lost a rematch to Knight. Most recently, he was finished by former Olympic boxer Denis Berinchyk, which led to Lobov's subsequent retirement.

---

#1. Paige VanZant - Former UFC women's flyweight

Paige VanZant's transition to bare-knuckle boxing from the UFC created more fanfare and social media attention than any other fighter on this list. Despite this, VanZant is still yet to win a fight in the sport.

During her time as an MMA fighter, VanZant competed in both Invicta FC and the UFC, putting together a record of 8-5. She holds five victories in the UFC, defeating the likes of Felice Herrig, Bec Rawlings and Rachael Ostovich.

UFC Fight Night: Herrig v VanZant

After being submitted by Amanda Ribas in 2020, Paige VanZant made a move to the BKFC to the surprise of many. VanZant had been a popular fighter in the UFC, whose submission skills got her wins more often than not.

VanZant has since competed twice for BKFC. She dropped decision losses in both fights, first to Britain Hart and the aforementioned Rachael Ostovich, whom VanZant had previously defeated in the UFC.