'This is awesome': Fans erupt over Paige VanZant's bare-knuckle debut

Paige VanZant’s bare-knuckle debut lived-up to the hype but the former UFC star was unable to come away with a win after being picked apart in a brutal five-round war.

Popular fighter VanZant may have been paid the big bucks ahead of her bare-knuckle debut on the weekend, but her opponent Britain Hart was too much for her in a brutal blow for the sport.

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VanZant left the UFC back in July when her contract expired after four losses out of her last six fights.

The free agent turned to bare-knuckle fighting, in a contract she claimed is lucrative, and entered the weigh-in ahead of her clash against Hart.

VanZant showed grit and determination during the bout and even opened up Hart in Round 4, but the fight belonged to her opponent as she overwhelmed the former UFC star in a brutal boxing display.

Hart admitted VanZant had knocked two of her teeth out during the bout, but she was ecstatic after the biggest victory of her career.

“This is awesome,” she said after the fight.

“I made this moment about the people who believed, not the people who didn’t believe.”

Despite VanZant’s loss, fans were full of praise for the brutal spectacle.