Fighters competing in the UFC’s Octagon probably seem like the last people on earth who would have been bullied while growing up, but in some cases it was experiencing that adversity during their childhood that led to them discovering martial arts in the first place.
In fact, as you’ll discover in this article, it’s a real eye-opener to discover just how many of MMA’s biggest stars have painful memories of being picked on, beaten up and made fun of before they knew how to defend themselves.
The 10 UFC stars we’ll discuss here are living proof that martial arts can have a positive effect on bullied kids’ lives, not only teaching them how to fight, but also giving them self-confidence, self esteem, and a sense of belonging, and in some cases even paving the way for a successful career under the bright lights of the Octagon.
Georges St-Pierre
UFC legend Georges St-Pierre was so affected by being picked on as a child that he started his own anti-bullying foundation after he became a star.
As a skinny, self-confessed nerd with acne problems, St-Pierre became a target for older bullies in the small town of St. Isadore, Quebec, Canada that he grew up in.
In his book, ‘The Way Of The Fight,’ GSP recalls one particularly humiliating incident when he was just nine years old that saw three 12-year-old troublemakers jump him, steal his lunch money and strip him of his clothes, while other classmates just looked on and laughed.
Many years later, St-Pierre was hailed as a hero as he returned to that same school as a UFC welterweight champion and all-time great in the sport of mixed martial arts to speak to students about how to overcome the challenges of bullying.
For St-Pierre, being a victim of harassment helped fuel his interest in martial arts and eventually led to him becoming strong enough to defend himself.
“By 14, 15, nobody could touch me,” he recalled in an interview with Yahoo! Sports, but his real message to other victims is that even if they don’t follow the same path he did, that the bad times won’t last forever.
“Things change,” he promised. “When you’re young you think everything will stay the same. It won’t. Everything will change. You just have to keep going.”
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