Ex-UFC star Paige VanZant changed her name after gang-rape horror

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Paige VanZant become one of the most recognisable names in UFC.

But before then, she changed her name in high school after relentless bullying following a sexual assault at the hands of high school scumbags. VanZant opened up to ABC News about being gang-raped at a party when she was 16. The future UFC star added that the events of that night "changed" her, and that she became "a totally different person" after the assault.

The current AEW superstar even changed her surname from Sletten – after she was nicknamed 'Slutten' by kids at her high school – to VanZant, after bullies spread false rumours the assault had been consensual and not rape. She added, about her 2019 book: “A huge reason I’m getting the book out is because I want to be an advocate for anti-bullying."

VanZant added: "MMA fighting saved my life. It saved who I was as a person too."

The 28-year-old rose to prominence thanks to her spell in the UFC, where she boasts a record of eight wins and five losses. Her most recent bout, against Amanda Ribas in 2020, ended up in a loss for VanZant – and it could be her final bout in the promotion.

She has since turned her attention to bare-knuckled fighting, where she has starred in BKFC.

Recently, Vanzant has found a new audience for her talents in professional wrestling after signing with AEW.

She made her debut at their Double or Nothing pay-per-view as part of America Top Team in their clash with Frankie Kazarian, Sammy Guevara, and Tay Conti.

• Paige VanZant
• UFC

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