Paige VanZant is one of the most recognizable female fighters to ever come out of mixed martial arts (MMA), but her level of notoriety and overall mass following has left the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star open to criticism.
It’s been nearly three years since VanZant left UFC behind and decided to make a jump to bare knuckle boxing. After back-to-back defeats under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner “12 Gauge” took a break from competition. But with lucrative setups with social media platforms and growing outlets like OnlyFans, VanZant isn’t exactly missing a life of fighting.
However, VanZant’s new career has left her open to massive criticism from social media creepers. The former UFC star has nearly bared it all in photos and videos throughout the years and it has resulted in some pretty harsh hatred. “12 Gauge” also put on some extra weight this past year which is only fueling the comments.
VanZant addressed her “haters” in a recent post to Instagram. Check out the video in the above player.
“I have been really good at putting my best self forward,” VanZant wrote. “Making sure the world sees the ‘prettiest’ side of me. Where I fell short is that I never showed the true me. Until now. The truth is, yes, I have gained a lot of weight … probably 20-plus pounds, but I also gained strength, power, muscle and a f—k ton of happiness. I see every single comment on my YouTube channel about how I look pregnant, obese, fat as f—k, and won’t be able to fit through a door soon. But one thing I have always remembered — happy people ain’t haters and haters ain’t happy.
“So all you haters out there keep on commenting, you’re only growing my platform. And I promise from this day forward to show the real me, forever. The fat me, the broken me, the skinny me, and the happiest f—king version of me I have ever been. Social media will never be real but I’ll try and be better. Anyway, check out my YouTube channel. Because I’ll be damned if I don’t continue to profit off of THE BEST HATERS IN THE WORLD. Yours in thickness.”
One look at VanZant and it’s easy to see why she has so many people interested in her activity on Instagram, Twitter, OnlyFans, and more. However, to suggest that she’s getting “obese” or that she looks “pregnant” is absolutely insane. It’s social media hatred at its finest, but something that VanZant seems to be rising above.
What do you think? Does PVZ deserve any backlash on social media?
Let’s hear it!
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
