Britain Hart embraced the pre-fight role of an opponent with a purpose.

A convincing win over combat sports star Paige VanZant allowed her to evolve into a different kind of entity altogether.

“I am not a person,” Hart declared following her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) headliner Friday evening. “I’m not. I’m a f—king feeling! And all of you guys are going to feel me.”

It’s a message that Hart has sought to deliver during her five years as a boxer and BKFC fighter. The recently turned 31-year old from Virginia was heard loud and clear, after spoiling the celebrated BKFC debut of VanZant (0-1), a former UFC fighter who has enhanced her own brand through sports, modeling, acting and even as a book author.

None of that was enough to deny Hart her night of glory atop BKFC’s “Knucklemania” Pay-Per-View headliner which aired live on Fite TV from RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida.

“She got a lot of the attention and the limelight, and that’s alright,” Hart told BoxingScene.com. “I always want to be the girl who takes and beats anybody at their best. I never took a shortcut, I’ve always taken the hard road.

“My goal was always to make sure she remembers my name.”

It was easy for the less forgiving boxing world to forget about Hart (2-2 in BKFC; 4-4-3 as a boxer), who grew up as a military brat who lived in Germany and Turkey before her family settled in Virginia when she was 10 years old. In a past life, Hart was able to establish herself as a high school soccer and basketball player before earning a master’s degree in physical education from Old Dominion University.

A string of tough luck—coupled with some bad decisions—saw Hart embrace career and life changes. It eventually took her to a boxing gym in 2016, turning pro later that year. The bulk of her boxing career took place on club shows, including her last-ever fight in the ring—a 1st round knockout of unbeaten regional favorite Kim Wabik last August in Windham, New Hampshire, coming 19 months after they fought to a four-round draw in the same city.

It was on the BKFC circuit where Hart found the respect she knew she’d long ago earned—and, more importantly, deserved. Even in losing her own pro debut—a five-round split decision to Bec Rawlings atop BKFC2—company founder Dave Feldman continued to believe in her, as he does in all of the fighters on the BKFC roster.

Three fights later, Hart struck gold when she was named as the opponent of choice for VanZant’s debut on the BKFC circuit. With the door kept open, all that was left to prove that she could command the room.

“It’s so hard for females in combat sports,” notes Hart. “I’ve had one main event before and it didn’t go my way, it was a split decision. Some people don’t get second chances. Being the main event is great but it’s that second chance that really energized me to walk away with the victory.

“I’m a fighter in the truest sense of the word. I fought in boxing, I fought on the streets. I’m fighting in BKFC. I could fight in MMA as well if I want to. I’m a fighter, it’s just who I am. Wherever the best fight is, that’s where I will be. People think they can just not give me the credit I know I’ve always deserved. I came here to earn it. I was one of the pioneers of boxing. Now I’m one of the leaders and I’m here to stay.” 

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox