“The kind of home we lived in, I came outside at night to use the restroom and somebody from nowhere poured acid on me and it was horrible,” Young said. “I was rushed to the hospital and how I managed to survive it was just God.”
As if the immediate physical pain wasn’t enough, Young was now staring down the barrel of bullying that would prove to be so severe that Young would drop out of school before ever stepping foot into a high school.
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“The burn was so severe that I went to the school and a lot of kids started bullying me and calling me a lot of different names, like ugly,” Young said. “I would always go home crying to my mom and asking my mom, ‘Why is my face like this?’ That really motivates me that I want to prove something to the world.”
The scarring led to being taunted and bullied by the other students, but didn’t stop there. Even teachers would make an impact for the worse. In addition to being mocked while doing things she didn’t enjoy as a child, there were times when teachers would restrict her due to her scarring.
“I faced depression,” Young said. “A lot of people don’t want to mingle with me. Even a lot of things I wanted to do as a child, they wouldn’t let me do because of the kind of disfiguration I have.”
On this episode of #InsideLFA, @RKruck previews #LFA125! Every LFA #strawweight champion has gone on to sign with the #UFC and the promotion will crown its next divisional queen when it makes its debut in #NewYork! ?
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In lieu of finishing out school and continuing on to university, Young joined the Nigerian police force as a means of a career. Although she wasn’t born wanting to be on the police force, it introduced her to kickboxing and a dream that led her across the world to the United States.
“I came to America in 2014,” Young said. “I believe it has always been my dream to take my career to the next level. My dream has been to come to the United States.”
Young is seeing a shift already. In her past, she was identified by her scars. She’s now identified as simply “a fighter.” Although no payoff is worth the physical and mental pain Young went through growing up, the dream to become the first Nigerian-born woman to win a UFC title is almost within reach, and when the kids that drove her out of school at an early age look at pictures of her holding UFC gold, scars and burns will no longer be what they see.
Catch the return of Loveth Young at LFA 125, ONLY on UFC FIGHT PASS!
