Hannah Rankin discovered simply how onerous bare-knuckle boxing is on Saturday night time.
The 13-8 skilled boxer beforehand received the IBO super-welterweight title in 2019, and in doing so turned the primary Scottish lady to grow to be a world champion.
Rankin added to her epic legacy when she received the WBA feminine super-welterweight belt two years later – however now she’s determined to attempt a brand new sport.
‘The Classical Warrior’ was anticipated to make use of her boxing abilities to dominate K1 fighter Deborah Melhorn, however issues didn’t go precisely to plan on the Marbella Area.
Hannah Rankin battered, bloody and bruised after her BKFC debut
Rankin and Melhorn had been tough to separate by way of 5 rounds of pulsating back-and-forth motion that had Conor McGregor raving when the ultimate bell sounded.
The UFC legend and BKFC co-owner instantly stormed the ring to reward each fighters who he repeatedly and loudly branded ‘warrior ladies’ earlier than the scorecards had been confirmed.
In the end, Rankin was declared the winner through a 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 cut up determination earlier than celebrating wildly as her dissatisfied opponent headed backstage to evaluate a tricky loss.
The victory got here at a price. Rankin was nearly unrecognizable on the closing bell as she was coated in blood from cuts that had opened up throughout the bout.
Each her eyes and her head had been swollen in a means that warped the face and made Rankin look nothing just like the fighter who had entered the ring half-hour earlier.
After taking time to heal up, Rankin is sort of actually set to hold on together with her bare-knuckle boxing profession that has seen her strike up a friendship with the promotion’s well-known co-owner.
Conor McGregor took Hannah Rankin beneath his wing forward of her profession change
Rankin lately opened up about her shut relationship with McGregor, who has performed the whole lot he can to make her transition from boxing to bare-knuckle as simple as attainable.
The Scot has totally loved being across the UFC icon and getting suggestions from probably the greatest MMA fighters to have ever stepped foot contained in the Octagon.
“I’ve been concerned in a whole lot of press conferences however being concerned in a press convention with Conor McGregor is in a very completely different league. He has critical star energy,” Rankin instructed The National.
“However he’s taken me beneath his wing and he and his group are actually supporting me – we’ve bought one another’s cellphone numbers, so he’ll message me which is kind of loopy.
“It’s been insane listening to him speaking me up publicly however once I chat to him alone, with nobody else round, you’ll be able to simply converse to him like a standard particular person.
“He’s obsessive about combating and fight sports activities – he’s an actual nerd about all of it so truly, after we’re speaking fighter to fighter, it feels actually regular.”
Rankin needs to win one other belt beneath McGregor’s BKFC banner.
She added: “In the end, the objective is to grow to be a two-sport world champion.
“I’m not going into this simply to have a go, I wish to be nice.
“I by no means do issues by half and it’s the identical with this. All through my entire profession, I’ve by no means shied away from a problem – I’ve at all times wished to go up in opposition to the most effective on the planet so truly, I’d have been dissatisfied if I’d been going up in opposition to a comfortable contact
“I’m a two-time world champion myself and I’m happy with that so I wish to go in in opposition to sturdy opposition. That offers me additional motivation understanding it’ll be a tough struggle.
“I do really feel some nerves however I’m glad to have them as a result of it makes me additional targeted.”
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