UFC women’s flyweight fighter Rachael Ostovich is not letting her personal battles interfere with her career. Despite an ongoing domestic violence case against husband Arnold Berdon, the 27-year-old Hawaiian will be pushing through with her scheduled bout against Paige VanZant in January.
Ostovich broke her silence in an interview with Honolulu’s KHON2 on Thursday, less than two weeks since she was hospitalized from the injuries she sustained.
”Although this is a very difficult time for me and my family, I felt that this fight in January was important,” she said. “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.
“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.”
Ostovich also hopes to be able to be a source of inspiration for people who are going through the same ordeal as she is.
”I feel like I have to do this. This is something that can’t be taken away from me. 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.”
Ostovich suffered a cracked orbital from the beating she received from Berdon, whom she alleged had repeatedly punched her on the head, face, and ribs, and causing her to cough up blood. She had already filed both a petition for a restraining order, and for divorce.
For his part, Berdon pleaded not guilty to the allegations, with his family claiming it was all an act of self-defense. He was released from custody after posting a $75,000 bail, but is required to appear in court for a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 18th.
VanZant and Ostovich will be part of the UFC’s first card on ESPN+, which is scheduled to take place on January 19th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
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