‘This ain’t f*cking MMA, you can’t choke’: Ex-UFC star Paige VanZant weighs in with Britain Hart ahead of bare-knuckle bow (VIDEO)

Paige VanZant and her opponent on her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut, Britain Hart, had to be separated at Thursday's weigh-ins ahead of the fight league's "KnuckleMania" event after nearly coming to blows.

Former UFC star VanZant is set to make her maiden appearance in the world of bare-knuckle boxing late on Friday night but fans came close to getting a preview of what to expect in the ring in Tampa, Florida when an intense shoving match ensued - with Hart claiming that VanZant tried to "choke" her in the heated exchange. 

The fiery Hart approached VanZant on the weigh-in stage after both had hit their marks ahead of their fight, prompting VanZant to push Hart away, appearing to strike her throat in the process.

Warning: video contains swearing

The furious Hart, a pro boxer, proceeded to launch a verbal tirade at VanZant, telling her that the some of the techniques she employed in the octagon won't be of any help to her when the bell rings inside the BKFC squared circle. 

"This ain’t f*cking MMA, you can’t choke," Hart said. "Get the f*cking rules right before you come into the f*cking game. How about that? Get the rules right. I will touch you first tomorrow."

A shouting match between the two warring fight queens continued until BKFC president David Feldman stepped in to separate the fighters. 

VanZant, who has a 8-5 mark on her mixed martial arts ledger, comes into the fight on the back of losing three of her final four contests in the UFC - the last of which was an armbar submission defeat to Amanda Ribas on the final fight of her UFC deal last July. 

After announcing plans to leave the promotion, she is reported to have turned down contracts with the likes of Bellator, for whom her husband Austin Vanderford competes, and ONE Championship in favor of trying her hand - quite literally - in the ever-developing landscape of bare-knuckle boxing. 

Hart, meanwhile, is the more experienced of the two fighters in the glove-less fight league, having fought on three prior occasions.

She came up short in her first two fights against Bec Rawlings and Christine Ferea but returned to the win column in November with a fourth-round knockout of Randine Elkholm.