VanZant addresses bullying on Live with Kelly
UFC star addresses bully on morning talk show
Paige VanZant is quickly become one of the UFC’s most popular athletes, man or woman. VanZant is not just a pretty face and is currently 4-1 in her UFC career and is coming off her most impressive win to date, a knockout of Bec Rawlings that started with a flying roundhouse kick.
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Before her most recent fight, VanZant took a hiatus from the Octagon to compete on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. A former cheerleader, gymnast, and dancer VanZant performed well on the show, finishing as the runner up for the season.
Today, VanZant appeared on the morning show ‘Live with Kelly’ and talked to hosts Kelly Ripa and temporary co-host Neil Patrick Harris about her career and why she started training in mixed martial arts:
Neil Patrick Harris: You are amazing to me. You’re so pretty. How did you get to fighting? How does that happen? When you were a kid, did things happen to you that made your more aggressive?
Paige VanZant: My freshman year of high school, I just went through severe bullying and that is something I really want to speak out about. But I didn’t start fighting because of the bullying. I got into it just because I needed something to do. In fighting, slowly I got my confidence back. So I never planned on making it a career, I just did it for something to do.
Bullying of course is a serious issue across the United States and internationally. But recently a lot of organizations have been created to raise awareness for not only physical bullying, but also cyber-bullying which can have the same or even worse effects on developing children.
However, the best tool is stopping bullying is individual action. If you see someone is being bullied, you can intervene if you feel safe, or if not, make sure the actions are made aware to someone who can make a difference.
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