ONE Championship Stars Take A Stand Against Cyberbullying

ONE World Champions Angela Lee and Brandon Vera

Over the past few months, ONE Championship’s martial arts heroes have been providing encouragement to fans and helping them through these unprecedented times in the world.

These athletes have denounced racism and participated in #BlackoutTuesday, and now, they are taking a stand against cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying, which is the act of using electronic communication to emotionally abuse a person, has become increasingly common due to the advancement of technology and the internet.

The issue reached a boiling point on Saturday, 23 May. After receiving online harassment via social media, Japanese professional wrestler and Terrace House reality television star Hana Kimura took her own life. She was only 22 years old.

In an effort to help prevent another tragedy like this one, some of ONE Championship’s athletes have been speaking out.

Those athletes include ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera, ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex, and mixed martial arts sensations Rika “Tiny Doll” Ishige, Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen, and Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat.

The five superstars recorded a special video message that encourages fans to join them in the fight against cyberbullying.

View this post on Instagram

Hey guys, I know there's a lot going on in the world right now, but today I wanted to talk about something serious that recently happened in Japan.⁣ ⁣ There was a young girl, who was very successful. She was a pro wrestler and a tv star and just last week, she took her own life. Her name was Hana Kimura and she was 22 years old, just a year younger then me. ⁣ ⁣ Constantly being in the public eye, will put a lot of pressure on anyone. Now add people's judgements, criticism, ignorant comments, hateful comments… That's enough to push anyone over the edge. A strong and positive mindset is so important to have. And even when you're in a good place, notifications, messages and comments can pop up and put you right back into that dark place. ⁣ ⁣ "Just ignore them" ⁣ "They mean nothing to you" ⁣ "Be bigger than that" ⁣ "Stay positive"⁣ It's much easier said than done. ⁣ Because sometimes, you try for so long. To stay positive for so long. That one little thing, can push you over the edge. ⁣ I feel for Hana Kimura. ⁣ I wish I could've helped. ⁣ ⁣ I don't understand why people feel the need to spread negativity and ill wishes to another person, whom they have never even met. Your words can uplift and heal someone but they can also knock down and destroy someone. Please, think twice before you speak. It could save someone's life. ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ???? ???????????????? #???????????????????????????????? #???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ⁣ ♥️ ???????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????? #???????????? @hanadayo0903

A post shared by Angela Lee Pucci (@angelaleemma) on

Additionally, ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee released a statement on her social media channels, which emphasized just how powerful someone’s words can be.

“Your words can uplift and heal someone, but they can also knock down and destroy someone,” Lee wrote. “Please, think twice before you speak. It could save someone’s life.”

Read more: ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong Supports Black Lives Matter

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