PAIGE VANZANT has revealed how fighting offered her an escape route from being bullied as a kid.
The MMA star was persistently picked on at high school after a rumour circulated that she had sex with multiple boys at a house party.
In her autobiography Rise: Surviving the Fight of My Life, she revealed she was raped by multiple men after they they got her drunk.
She was forced to change her surname after bullies called her ‘Slutton’ instead of ‘Sletton’.
And she once came home to find condoms hanging from the trees around her house.
Despite her tough path to the top, she is now one of the most recognisable fighters in the world.
And VanZant will tell her story of how fighting helped her overcome on a new podcast called Jesus Calling.
Speaking to her 2.6million followers on Instagram, she revealed how she used the negativity in her favour.
She said: “When was younger, I faced bullies who took away my confidence.
“It was only through fighting that I realised God could use those negative experiences to shape the person that I’d become.
“Now, I’m using my platform to be a guiding force for others facing emotional trauma.
“I’m on the @JesusCalling Podcast this week, sharing how I’m saying ‘yes’ to the opportunies God places in my path, and how I’ve learned that all things work together for good.”
VanZant’s UFC deal ended after her defeat to Amanda Ribas at UFC 251 on Fight Island.
But the stunning 26-year-old plans to return to the cage this year.
The American has also reportedly been offered to try her luck in Bare Knuckle boxing.
