Defeat is a real tough pill to swallow.
Paige VanZant would suffer her third-straight loss in combat sports after losing her rematch against Rachael Ostovich. In the aftermath of BKFC 19, VanZant would immediately leave the boxing ring after being on the wrong end of a judges decision. She thought she had done enough to win the fight but Ostovich edged it.
Her Reaction
’12-gauge’ shot tears out of her eyes in the parking lot after the fight. She was devastated by the result.
“When I walked out of the ring, I didn’t just walk to my locker room, I literally walked all the way outside and I just went and cried in the parking lot by myself,” VanZant said on her show. “I said some things to my husband that are pretty terrible about like my mental state…
“I told him I didn’t want to live anymore, that this wasn’t for me anymore. Like life wasn’t for me anymore so I was disappointed, It was hard.”
Rising Again
The fight game has some of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. VanZant is no stranger to taking losses but she always finds a way to bounce back. Being the fighter she is, she would refuse to give up on her fighting career, despite a big setback and the hate that comes with it.
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“I’m bummed out, bummed out to say the least,” VanZant continued. “Everyone expects me to lose and everyone expects me to fail. I don’t know, I just feel like people have this specific perception of who I am and especially online. It’s crazy how much people can hate on a single person. I just don’t get it.
“I pride myself of being a good person. I think that’s the most important thing for me. I never talk bad about my opponents. I never say a single negative thing about their character. You never know what somebody’s going through. You never know what someone’s on the verge of.”
On route to her return, whether it’s to a cage or a ring, VanZant will focus a lot more on her mental health.
“People like me struggle a lot, everybody does. Mental health is no joke and I need to start taking my mental health more seriously. Losses suck and going through hard times it’s not fun but it does get better and you can get through it and life goes on.”
