Rachael Ostovich has agreed to keep her commitment of fighting Paige VanZant in January even though earlier this month she was brutally beaten up by her husband Arnold Berdon who left her with a broken face bone.
The beauty, 27, said to quit the fight would allow him to mess with her dreams,’ she told KHON2 in Hawaii on Friday. The star spoke on camera, revealing she still has a black eye.
‘This is something that can’t be taken away from me,’ said the UFC fighter. ‘I want to use this big worldwide UFC platform to show people that don’t let anyone or anything come between you and your dreams and your career.’
For more on Rachael Ostovich click here
Still recovering: Rachael Ostovich showed a black eye as she talked to RHON2 in Hawaii on Friday, revealing she is fighting Paige VanZant in January because she has to
The mark was under her right eye
The fight will take place on January 19 in New York.
She wore a tie-dye tank top with a gold heart necklace and a nose ring.
And she wants to be a role model for women suffering from domestic abuse.
‘I felt that it was extremely important to me to follow through with it and not only for me but for my daughter and other people that might be going through similar situations,’ Ostovich told KHON2.
She has daughter Ruby Rose with Berdon.
‘I want to take a stand against domestic violence and show others that it’s okay to come out and speak about it and not be quieted.’
Her look: She wore a tie-dye tank top with a gold heart necklace and a nose ring
Straight talk: ‘I felt that it was extremely important to me to follow through with it and not only for me but for my daughter and other people that might be going through similar situations,’ Ostovich told KHON2
Take that Arnie! She has daughter Ruby Rose with Berdon. ‘I want to take a stand against domestic violence and show others that it’s okay to come out and speak about it and not be quieted.’
He used to love her, then he beat her, allegedly: Berdon showed off his toned body as he put his arm around his wife earlier this year
Mugged: Here he is seen showing off his chest again; he has said the beating was self defense
She also said, ‘I feel like I have to do this.’
And she thanked her family.
‘I’m extremely grateful and blessed for my support system. My family, who has done so much for me and has kept me together and kept me strong.’
VanZant also explained why the fight is good.
She tweeted earlier this week, ‘Yes we are going to war with each other in the cage, but I stand by her side with her ongoing battle at home. Let’s put on a fight and show these people how strong we are. #GirlPower #UFC.’
Fight is back on: VanZant also took to her own Twitter page to share the news, revealing, ‘FIGHT STILL ON!!!!! I couldn’t be more great full to @rachaelostovich.’
This comes after Ostovich, 27, shared a photo with VanZant, 24, along with ‘Thank you Jesus’ and a prayer hands emoji, along with a tweet from ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto which broke the news.
VanZant also took to her own Twitter page to share the news, revealing, ‘FIGHT STILL ON!!!!! I couldn’t be more great full to @rachaelostovich.’
The fight was initially cancelled due to Ostovich’s injuries, which were sustained in an alleged attack by her husband, another MMA fighter, Arnold Berdon, in Hawaii.
While the fight was cancelled, Ostovich’s manager Brian Butler-Au told ESPN that the fighter sought a second opinion on her injuries, and she was cleared this week.
Ostovich vs VanZant: Ostovich, 27, took to her Instagram story to share a pic of herself and VanZant, 24, along with ‘Thank you Jesus’ and a prayer hands emoji, along with a tweet from ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto which broke the news
‘She never really wanted to be off of this fight,’ Butler-Au said. ‘When everything happened, it was very emotional.
‘The injuries were significant enough that, combined with the emotions of everything that was going down, we made a decision to pull out of the fight,’ Butler-Au continued.
‘Now that things are settling out and the swelling of the injury is going down, Rachael got a second opinion and everything will work out to where she can keep this fight.’
Fight back on: ‘She never really wanted to be off of this fight,’ Butler-Au said. ‘When everything happened, it was very emotional.’
Ready to fight: ‘Yes we are going to war with each other in the cage, but I stand by her side with her ongoing battle at home. Let’s put on a fight and show these people how strong we are,’ VanZant added
ESPN also confirmed with UFC president Dana White that the fight is back on for January 19.
Berdon was taken into custody by Honolulu police last week and charged with second-degree assault, and his next court hearing will be December 18.
Ostovich was also granted a restraining order against Berdon.
Happier times: Berdon was taken into custody by Honolulu police last week and charged with second-degree assault, and his next court hearing will be December 18; here they are seen with their daughter
The Ostovich/VanZant fight is part of the UFC Fight Night lineup at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The January 19 fight will be the first event as part of a new five-year deal between the UFC and ESPN, with the fight airing on the network’s new ESPN+ streaming service.
Ostovich has a 4-4 mixed martial arts record and is 1-1 in two UFC fights, while VanZant has a 7-4 record and is coming off a one-year injury hiatus.
Fight-ready: The Ostovich/VanZant fight is part of the UFC Fight Night lineup at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Seen in Las Vegas