MMA Fighting - Paige VanZant details her move to bare knuckle boxing with manager Malki Kawa and BKFC president Dave Feldman

Episode Date: August 18, 2020

Paige VanZant discusses her decision to move from MMA to bare knuckle boxing with her manager Malki Kawa joining to detail how the deal got done and BKFC president Dave Feldman on welcoming Paige to the promotion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network. Damon Martin, MMA fighting, and when last we spoke to Paige Van Zant, she was just a few days removed from her final fight in the UFC with high expectations about her future after reaching free agency. Just a few days ago, Paige made headlines when she signed a multi-fight deal to make her move from the UFC to bare-knuckle fighting championships. How exactly did this whole thing happen? Well, let's talk to Paige. manager Malki Kowah and BKFC President Dave Feldman to find out. Let me start with you, Paige, because obviously you're going to be in the spotlight for this

one, so kind of give me your idea. We talked about a month ago or so when everything was, you know, after the fight in the UFC. You hoped to be pretty quickly on your free agency. Obviously, you did. So how did this all come together? Gosh, you know, honestly, right when I became a free agent, you know, you know, know, Bear Nuffle had, they had reached out to Maliki. Then, you know, when Malky called me, he was like, hey, we got an offer.

And actually, Sean Meelock messaged me, too. And it was like, hey, Paige, don't assign anything. I want you to be with Bear Nussel with me. Make sure you hear their offer. I was, oh, okay, that sounds awesome. And, you know, I had no idea that they would be such a big player in the game. And, you know, once I heard, I was like, oh, my gosh, talking to my husband. I was like, I think I want to find with them.

and we were still, you know, in that negotiation process. I hadn't really heard their final offer. It was more than just, you know, what I feel like they were offering me, like, financially. It was the opportunity that I was so excited about that I get to go over and do such an amazing, you know, I've been a fan of their sport. And it's something that I feel like I'm going to be able to really show off my striking. And if you look at my, you know, MMA career, my biggest downfall has been my jiu-jitsu. And my striking has been my passion, and I'm so excited to show that off.

And to be with us, you're an awesome organization. And I think it really is going to be a partnership that helps both of us. And, yeah, I was just really excited. It was the one my gut told me to go with from the very beginning, and I'm so happy that's the one that worked out. And my entire team is really excited about. Absolutely, absolutely. Malki, for you, let me ask you now.

I know Tiago Alves is obviously also a BKFC, and I know you work with Tiago as well. So had you previously worked with BKFC? Like, was it easier to make that dialogue, or how did this kind of come about on your end? Well, so, yes, I represent Tiago Avis, and that was another deal that I had actually done through one of their matchmakers, I want to say, in Dean Toul. He owns Island fights in Pensacola, and I know Dean Toul very, very well. And he called me, he said, hey, you should probably listen to this bare-knuckle boxing, you know, offer for Page. I was like, listen, I'm just letting you know, this is not going to be a simple deal.

This is not going to be a, you know, let's fight for 100 and 100, and pretend we're going to do it. He's like, he's like, dude, just listen to the deal. And then, you know, eventually I got on the phone with David, and, you know, David says it was easy work for me. I'm just going to say he was easy working with David. He's a promoter that gets it. He understands it. I appreciated him from the get-go because there was really no nonsense. You know, I laid out how this was going to go.

I told him that there was other promotions involved that we were already. be talking to about a couple different people, but that I would, you know, be fair, sit down, listen, and, you know, hopefully it's not something out with one of the promotions. He was cool, came strong right off the bat. I probably went back and forth within 10 times. He got tired of me at the end, you know what I mean? And then we finally fell on something and, you know what I'm, excited about it because I think that, you know, what people forget is that if certain fighters weren't around in the beginning, the UFC wouldn't be here, right? And it always takes a special person or two or three to make a promotion.

It also takes a special promotion to help a person here or there. And I think that people need to understand that Paige and I and her husband sat down and kind of mapped out what this would look like. And we feel right now we're, you know, we're ahead of the game as far as what we're looking to do long term, not just in the short term. Yeah. Dave, I'll kind of circle back to you on this. On your end, how did this deal come about on your end?

Like, how did you're interest in page? Did you have interest in Paige immediately after you knew she was interesting free agency? Yeah, it's funny. She mentioned Sean Will. Sean's one of my main guys. He's really helped the growth of his court. He helped me get legalized in a couple different states. He's just an amazing guy.

He's a great commentator, former Belcher commentator. Really good dude. And he actually talked to me about getting paid to commentate before. Oh, this was a while ago. I don't even know if I got back to page or not. But we were interested in having her over, and she had some conflict. on scheduling. So as she was becoming a free agent,

Sean reached out and said, look, she's a free agent. I think it's something we need to look into. And then we just started talking and reached out, as Malky said, through Dean Toul. And we got the deal done. Like I said, in another interview that,

you know, Paige is getting paid very, very well. But she's also getting some more opportunities here, well, opportunities to grow her personality, really. And with that, Paige is really helping us because she has a tremendous following and she gets it. Like she really gets it. What needs to be done to move us to the next level? And that's why I say I think it's a great partnership because we both are going to do what's needed to be done to grow each other.

So I'm really happy to have her on board. And like I said, I can't wait to get rolling. Paige, for you, when we spoke about your free agency, you had told me that, you know, obviously money plays a part of it. There's no doubt about that. But you wanted to be with a promotion or a promoter. that really values you, that saw your value, beyond just the money part of it, which again, money's got to play a part, of course. That's a no-brainer.

But do you feel like when you sat down and talked to Malcolm and you talked to BKFC, that you found that partner, that you found that place that is going to value you and everything you bring to the organization beyond just the fights? I definitely do, and I feel like that's actually the mess in our contract, you know. I feel like for a long time, I wanted to promote. I want you to know that, yes, I'm a fighter first and foremost, and I'm going to make that my, you know, my, my end goal is to be successful in fighting. But at the same time, there's so many other things that I am talented and have a lot to bring to the table. And that's something that they offered me.

They're letting me come out and commentate. They're letting me be a part of the organization more than just an athlete for them. And that's something, and for so long, I've kind of been, you know, complimented on that, you know, I am talented inside, yes, inside the cage. And when the cage door closes, I'm there to fight. But I can offer so much else to the table through past experiences. I've been able to really become good at, you know, commentating and being on TV and bringing a lot of attention to an organization.

And I'm so happy. I do truly feel like they're valuing me. And this is going to be a partnership that, you know, our contract does have terms. But hopefully through all this, we can all be really happy and continue. and I'll continue to fight for them for, you know, a really long time and be a part of their company. Absolutely. Malki, for you getting the deal done, we saw it yesterday.

Listen, I don't typically ask about numbers. I'm not that guy who says, okay, tell me exactly how much you're getting your clients paid, but it's been out there. This is a multimillion dollar deal, and obviously you went beyond just the fight. So kind of give me a little bit more, if you can, as far as the figures and as far as what this deal will entail. Yeah, I mean, listen, it entails what you would expect, you know, a promotion that, you know, signs a free agent, you know, of the caliber of a person like a Paige Vanzan. It has its base guarantees, which is, you know, where the multimillion-dollar stuff comes from. It's a multimillion-dollar deal.

And we're not even talking, you know, the sprinkles and the cherries that go on top of the Sunday. You follow me? So, you know, Dave made a very strong offer that, you know, it's a four-fight deal. So it's not like, you know, anything crazy. It's a four-fight deal. And, you know, Dave and I sat. We planned out, you know, these four fights on how, you know, they should look, you know, when they should be the whole nine yards over the course of the next, you know, 16 to 18 months. And I think that, you know, if everything goes the way we expected to go between the three of us, page Dave and myself, you know, multimillion will turn into, I mean, even bigger than that, right?

It is what it is. So there's a lot of large base guarantees. There's a lot of opportunity for her if she wins, knocks people out. There's opportunity for her on some back-end stuff. There's just a whole lot. I mean, there's a whole lot more. I just don't want to get into it because I wouldn't be fair to Dave, but he just made a strong offer to where, you know,

I think that anybody who's a free agent now that can box or that is a striker-first-type person should take a look at it and should, you know what I mean, give it, it should give some attention to it. you know, the idea, let me say this, like there's this idea out there that if you fought in the UFC, and you go fight in Bellocor or bare-knuckle boxing or one of these other promotions, that you're basically going away to die, right, where your career is over and all that. Page Vanzance in the middle, you know, maybe not even in the middle, maybe at the very beginning of her prime, you know, she's still in her 20s, and by the time she's done with this first contract with, you know,

bare-knuckle fighting, she'll still be in her late 20s. So, you know, the idea was get her in this situation. Let's get her some wins on the feet. Meanwhile, she's moved to American top team, right? She'll continue working on the mixed martial arts aspect of it. And then my expectation is after four fights to sit down with Dave and see, you know, what the numbers look like, see what her path has been like, what there is for her there. But while she still also improves, not just in the boxing standpoint, the MMA standpoint,

which will open up all the avenues and all the doors for her, you know, long-term also as well. So, you know, I never say never to anything, but, David, that's kind of the part is that Dave did get, look, where he says the opportunity that he's giving Paige, he's absolutely right. You know what I mean? He's going to put her in an opportunity to where she'll get to be just, you know, stand up with someone and bang. And, you know, do you imagine Paige Vanzibazen comes out with a bare-knuckle boxing, you know what I mean, championship at 26, 27 years old, you know, I think that then after that, the sky's a limit for. Absolutely. Dave, for you, you mentioned, you know, and we've talked about doing different things with pages and just fighting. Now, fighting is going to be the center of it. We understand that. She's a fighter and a great fighter, and that's her in gold. But kind of a two-part question is, you know, bringing her in as a fighter, what did you see in a value in page? And also, on the other side, when you talk about signing a big deal like this, we know, and I know from talking to you in the past around, especially the Lobov-Malajy fight, do you know how to put on a big deal?

fight. You know how to promote a big fight. Did you kind of get that feel with Pays that you were going to be able to promote her, you know, in that same kind of way? No, absolutely, Damon. I mean, the thing about Page is, look, she didn't have to fight bare-knuckle fighting. She didn't have to do this. I mean, it was a good offer, but she had plenty of offers out there, and she didn't have to risk what she's going to risk. Look, she is taking a risk here. She could get a scar on her face for the rest of her life, right? And she makes money with her face. So anyone that doesn't take their hat off and respect

someone like that really, you know, just isn't a true fan of combat sports. But she's in a, you know, I think what we're going to do together here, she's a promoter. I mean, she has four million or plus followers total social media. So she's a promoter. She gets it. And with her getting it, she's going to help us do some promotional tools. She's going to, we're going to see how she fits into different avenues of the company. And like I said, see where this thing takes us and see where it takes the relationship.

and the partnership with her, it could, you know, could end up being her end game. It could be the last thing she does, she could move on to another promotion. And if we're that, that brought that, that takes her to another promotion and that gives her a hell of a deal. But in the meantime, she helped blow our company up, then it's a win-win for everybody. And that's, it's got a win for everybody or it doesn't work for anybody. And I think this is going to be a win-win for the whole entire team. And I think that's why both sides are so happy about this. Yeah, Malkey, just to be clear on the terms of the deal, because I know every deal is a little bit different.

Is this an exclusive deal in terms of Paige will do bare-knuckle boxing and that's it? And what is the terms in that part? Yeah, I mean, listen, when it comes to combat sports, well, here's the thing. I'll be honest with you. Me and Dave came to a lot of agreements on this contract, and one of them was that, you know, hey, she's going to bear a knuckle box, and I said absolutely just that she would have signed with Bellator or won or the UFC. they would be an exclusive agreement to that. The one thing that Dave did, you know, allow us to do

was anything outside of MMA or boxing, which includes pro wrestling, grappling, any of the other stuff. So, and if there's something came up from an MMA standpoint, I think if I spoke to Dave and said, hey, there's an offer here that I don't know that it doesn't make sense. And if there's not a fight on the horizon, can we take?

I'm sure he'd probably allow us to take it. So Dave is one of those guys that also gets it. I think that's one of the biggest things that I got from this whole negotiation is that he gets it. he gets and understands how to allow his promotions to thrive and survive and to live and to prosper. You know what I mean? It's to be open to a lot of different agreements and ideas.

And, you know, we agree to an exclusive agreement, but there's also, you know, we have, me and him have our own agreements on as far as certain things. So, you know, I'm excited, man. I'm really excited. I think her first fight, Dave, correct me, if I'm wrong, is what, November or December, something like that? Yeah, yeah. Probably.

There's been somewhere around there. and I'm excited to go through the process of getting a fight booked with them, you know, getting the opponent and her actually training, you know what I mean, just strictly on boxing or I should say bare-knuckle boxing, because the rules are a little bit different than regular boxing, and for her to be able to go out there and do her thing, you know what I mean, and go from there. Absolutely.

So, Paige, let me ask you the million-dollar question, so to speak, which everyone has been talking about, which is bear-knuckle is a different animal. I'm not going to lie to you. I've talked to a lot of people who have done, Jason Knight, Art of Lobob, I talked to Polly Malinaja, I talked to a lot of people. This is a different animal, and I'm sure you saw, as soon as the deal was announced, immediately people started tagging you in the photo with Jason Knight after his first fight with Art of Lobbob looking like, you know, he had the scarring, because it is.

It is a different animal doing bare-knuckle boxing. So how did you come to this decision? I assume it was an educated decision that you understood what you were getting into. You know, honestly, for me, it was never even a thought. the idea, yes, that fight, you know, everyone's talking about one specific fight that was totally brutal and most, like, it's very, obviously, uh, looks very violent. But at the same time, like, I'm in a position, like, yeah, I understand people think I'm cute, but I'm a fighter and an athlete first and foremost. For me, like, in the USC, I broke my arm and had to have

surgery three times. So that was a long-term injury that came from, being kneed in the arm, doing like being kicked in the arm, doing sitting back fist. Those are all things I don't even have to worry about anymore. One, two, a cut on your face. It heals. It always heals. I've been cut open before and people still think I'm pretty. And it hasn't hurt my career yet.

So, you know, for me, it comes down to just being an athlete. And this is the promotion that sparked my passion. You know, obviously we did have huge players in the game. We had really big offers. all over the place, but the offer that excited me and the promotion that excited me was this one because it's something that's new, it's exciting, I'm excited to have that passion and fire back in me as an athlete. And, you know, my family was nervous about anywhere it went. So it just, it was truly whatever I wanted to do. And it wasn't the thought for me to get cut open. And, you know,

I feel like at this point I'll be paid well enough. I can have plastic surgery and I, So I'm a surgeon on T-Dile and I can send him a text and say, hey, you got to fix me up. Now, Paige, in terms of the training, again, Bear Knuckle is a different animal. I remember talking to Polly Malinaji before he did his debut with Artem Lobov, and, you know, he had a certain expectation. And then afterwards, he said, yeah, it is a different feeling from the clinching. And obviously, you know, there is a, you know, the bare-nuckle aspect of it, you know, the hits are harder. Little things like that, little things that you don't think about. So can you give me an idea in terms of training and how you're going to get ready for your bare-knuckle debut?

Yeah, obviously. So I flew out to, you know, Miami right away. I'm here training in an American top team when we knew this offer was when we were going to go with. We came down as soon as possible. I tried, like, six or seven different boxing coaches just to find the one I really connect with. You know, Tiago Alves is here in American Top Team, and he's just taking a passion nature that I'm completely taking care of. He's setting me up with all of his. coaches he's telling me who you recommend and um you know the thing with you know bare knuckle yeah

it is boxing but there is i'm going to have an advantage because i've been doing moitai for so long like the clinch work there's there's an aspect where i feel like i'm you know very talented when it comes to clinch work in moitai but um being able to utilize that and train with m mhm coaches here is going to make me a better athlete for bare knuckle now are you planning page i know again we talk about, you know, MMA is where you come from. Are you going to continue training in MMA while you're also doing, you know, in terms of obviously, Barry Knuckles is going to be your focus, but will you still work on the other aspects of MMA while you're in your deal with BKFC?

A little bit, you know, I'm not going to be sparring. I'm not going to be doing any MMA. Training is going to get me injured. I am going to be doing technique. I've been, you know, training, doing the Jujitu private here and there because I do still like MMA and I still love doing Jiu-Jitsu. But right now I want to focus on boxing. It really just, like, sparked my passion and going to all my different boxing sessions

and really, you know, finding myself as this athlete has been really fun, and it's only been, like, two weeks. So I'll still train and made, but right now, of course, very focused on just boxing. Yeah. And is it moved to American Top Team permanent? Like, you guys are going to be in, you and Austin are going to be in Florida from now on? Is that the idea? Yeah.

Well, if far as Chinese, we're permanently in American top team in Florida. We're an American top team of Phillya in Portland, so we'll keep our house there. But 100% we're here now, and Austin's going to be doing his full camp here for his Belator fight. And, you know, the coach is here. I just feel like I had a better connection as far as boxing. So we're here full-time career-wise. Yeah, absolutely. So, Paige, let me ask you guys.

And Malky, don't jump in. I know you're going to want to. I know you were talking about this. but let me ask, obviously, I don't want to turn this conversation into, you know, BKFC versus UFC or BKFC versus any other organization. But Paige, we talked numerous times around your last UFC fight about your relationship with the UFC and that kind of coming to an end and the way things kind of wins. Would you say you've come out of this experience, you know, happy with the decision to go with BKFC? And are you okay leaving the UFC behind now that it's all said and done? I know. I definitely am happy moving on.

I still feel like I have an amazing relationship with Dana. I feel like I have a good relationship with the UFC and with all the other organizations. I think at the other day they understand it's business and I have to do what's best for myself. And this is it. It's best for me financially. It's best for me career-wise. My passion is sparked. It's going to be a much more successful journey just because I feel like they're utilizing me in all the ways that I felt I was, you know,

capable of being utilized. I finally get to do that and share so much of my talent. So, yeah, I think I'm really excited. There is, you know, the sadness initially of like, wow, for the first time in like six years, I'm not a UFC fighter anymore.

And it's absolutely crazy, but that was, you know, what started my career. I founded at EFC when I was 19 and, you know, it's time to move on. When a chapter needs to close, it needs to close, and I'm so excited for this next day.

Yeah. Malki, let me follow up with you on that because you obviously have a relationship with the UFC. You have a relationship with Bellets or all the other organizations out there. And you mentioned there was a lot of interest in Paige. We knew there was going to be as soon as she became a free agent. But do you feel like, you know, ultimately as her agent, as her manager, that this is the right deal for her? Yes, absolutely. I would have done it if I didn't think so. I, listen, I mean, David, if we're going to be honest and talk about, you know, the

plan and what happened. You know, I sat with Paige and I said, Paige, look, you're a, you know, a 500 fighter at the UFC. You did phenomenal. Most people in this world will never do that, right? A lot of fighters come in and go and we don't know who they are. Page got put a lot of pressure on her from a young age, and she was young. I mean, she started off, you know, in the UFC at like 20 or 19 something to that effect. And so, you know, she was, you know, by far the prettiest girl. And I think the looks and the ability all started, you know, swirling into you know, the aura of Paige Van Zand and what it became. And so when I looked at it, I said, listen, we can go to Bellator, right?

We can go to one F.C. We can go to, I mean, she got offers from every single promotion, including Ares FC wanted her. You know, so there wasn't a lack of promotions wanting Paige in the MMA space. I just think that for me, what I looked at was the opportunity to build her up in another sport where it kind of suited her strengths, right? And the striking is her side of it. And I told her, and I still stick by this, and I think this is what, you know, the plan is, is for her to continue to do the jiu-jitsu, continue to wrestle on the days that she doesn't have boxing, or if she's boxing in the morning, maybe you wrestle at night, continue to improve your overall martial art, you know what I mean, a game. And listen, in four fights, if, you know, you're a four-known, you're the champ,

and BKFC is the place that we're going to be at, we're going to spend another multimillion-ard deal. and that's something that Dave and I will sit down and look at and Paige will also start looking at and go from there. Dave says, hey, I loved it, but you know what? Maybe it is scarring my face up too much and I want to go back to the UFC. You know, there's an opportunity if she's improved, you know what I mean, in these next four fights and she's really developed a game on the ground and all that. And, you know, her profile is that big and we go back to the UFC or we go to a Belator or,

you know, one of these other promotions, the beautiful thing about this particular move at this point in time is I think it was the right move at the right time for page where she's at her career. But I think that people are quickly like, you know, assuming that okay, that's it. Her MMA career is over with. I don't know that that's the case. I just know that for right now, right? We need to focus on boxing and move forward with BKFC. And then in four fights, turn around, look at where we're at. And if there's something else for us to do, then we'll do it. As long as she continues to have those options, she's in a great place. And she's still young enough to make these moves. And I think that that's kind of the beauty behind it. You follow

me? Yeah, absolutely. Now, you said November, December for the debut, Dave, when we talked before your last car, you kind of laid out some ambitious plans for the rest of this year and then going into 2021. And now I imagine Paige is going to be a big, big part of that. But in terms of competition, and we've seen you promote big fights, I know I keep coming back to the Arnhobo Polym-Malaji Malanaghi fight, but that was such a big moment in the sport. And it really kind of took over, you know, social media and just everything when that fight happens. So we know that you are more than capable of promoting a big fight, but in terms of competition,

are you going to be bringing in new people that can face page? Are you looking for that kind of mega fight at some point down the road where Paige is fighting a well-known name? Like, what are your ideas in terms of competition? Our idea initially is just get her feet wet with this. You know, Paige is going to bring a lot of media attention to this sport, and we want to get her feet wet. wouldn't be fair for her

for us to put her in with the stiffest competition around in her first fight. Are we going to build into that? Absolutely. We're going to build into that. And we're in the process of signing some other names that really make sense that could create storylines. And that's the thing that sells fights.

And we're absolutely going to make that happen. We just signed about two dozen female fighters here in the past week and a half and probably another two dozen in the next couple weeks. So there's going to be plenty of competition for Paige. But, you know, right now we want to get a feet wet, get her used to the company, get our used to the sport, and how we do this thing. And I think, and that's the difference between

our deal with Paige and with Pauli Mount Nausea, Paul in the Malinaccia was a one-off. So we had to find what made sense for him. And obviously the tension with him and Connor McGregor and Artem Lobov as his friend, it just, it was a perfect storm for us. So we're going to create that. We won't have to create that. Something's going to happen here. We just know it because It's the way it is in combat sports. So something we'll build here and there will be a fight, particularly with Paige that people are really going to want to see and why that fight happen.

But initially, November, December area, she's going to get her feet wet with bare knuckle fighting. And, you know, we're going to build this relationship. Now, Paige, you know day one coming in that you're going to have a pretty giant target on your back and you know no matter who you face, they're going to come out trying to be the person to beat Paige. fans in. Now, you've already had that experience in the UFC where you were the bigger name

and someone's trying to build their name off of fighting you. But are you ready for that in terms of being a main event, in terms of being the spotlight, in terms of the target being on you? Do you embrace that and do you welcome that now that you are in BKFC and doing bare-knuckle boxing? Oh, I definitely welcome it. And I feel like that's been the storyline in my entire career. That's kind of been the position I've been in everyone, even though I would never a title holder. kind of was like that's the fight that they wanted next. And I'm so excited that now I feel like now it makes sense. I'm going to be going over to this new promotion right now.

And I'm excited to be in that position again. I love the pressure. And I'm excited to show off and really show what I can do in this, you know, new venture. And one of the things you did throughout your fighting career, and we know because we did a lot of stuff around Dancing with the Stars and the other things you're doing outside the organization is that, you know, you brought.

beyond the fighting, you were, you know, you brought a level of femininity to your fights. You were saying, I'm a fighter, but I'm still a girl. I'm going to go out and do these things like you did modeling. You did the SS shoot, things like that. Is it going to be different, you know, because bear knuckle is a, like I keep saying it's a different animal because it is a different animal, but is there an excitement to bring that in as well to show that you can be a strong woman, you know, doing bare knuckle boxing? Yeah, I mean, I think that's a part of it. too is like that's what excited me about this is yeah there's there is that stigma where people are like oh well she's just a pretty face well it's like well that's not how i see myself at all i see myself as a competitor and i think myself as a true really good striker and an athlete and i think like what a better way to show that off and i do think these amazing other opportunities

um where i do need to be very feminine and are still going to arise they're still going to come up because this is so much, it's a looked at as much a brutal sport. It's like, you know, so much more violent than the U.S. but I don't see it that way at all. So I'm excited to show off, and I think it's, yeah, just a great opportunity. Yeah, absolutely. Well, Paige, I tell you what, you threw everybody a loop with this one. I think everyone's going to be excited.

You're going to have a lot of attention on you for this one. And I know, you know, you are a striker. You come from a striking bag, and of course you're a mixed martial artist. You know, you've done it all. but are you excited just to go out there and box and knock somebody out? Oh, I'm so excited. You know, that's what I walk into the gym every day, and I'm like, I just get to hit people.

That's it. I just get to box. Like, it's a whole new animal, and it's so exciting. And I feel like that's what I've needed. Oh, it's going to be amazing. And it's definitely, it's going to be nothing you've ever seen before out of me, and I'm just so excited. And, yeah, I definitely feel like this is the one I was passionate about.

you're going to see that one at fight. Oh, awesome. Well, Paige, congratulations again on the deal. Malikin, congratulations for getting it done. And Dave, I know we talk off, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with Paige. Congratulations, everybody getting this done. And I hope next time we all talk is once Paige's debut is set,

and we're talking about her first fight in BKFC. Thank you, Dave. Thanks, thank you, Damon. Thank you, Damon. Thanks very much for joining us, Damon. Absolutely. Talk to you guys, too. You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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