Bare-Knuckle FC star Taylor Starling is firing back at those who criticize her for having a fan site.
Taylor Starling Hits Back at Critics
While it’s been well documented that a career in combat sports isn’t the most financially lucrative career for most, some female combat sports athletes have taken matters into their own hands.
Stars such as Starling, Paige VanZant, Bec Rawlings, and more have opted to use their platform to launch exclusive fan sites to earn extra income.
Part of an already stacked women’s roster in BKFC, Starling is an undefeated flyweight star for Bare-Knuckle FC who will challenge Christine Ferea for the BKFC flyweight title this weekend.
She has received some harsh criticism for her decision to open up a fan site.
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Starling fired back at her critics, telling them to keep their mouths shut if they don’t pay her bills.
“I always say to people, if you don’t pay my bills, and you don’t put food in my kids’ mouths, your opinion [doesn’t mean] s*** to me,” Starling said.
“I hate it, and if people don’t want to do it, or you think that it’s wrong so you wouldn’t do that, I understand.
“But at the same time, to do that to follow your dreams, follow your career and make s*** happen, to sit and say that you wouldn’t do something so simple as having a fan site, or an OnlyFans, [this is for me] to be able to do what [I] genuinely want to do.
“Before my fan site, I was working a full-time job, and I had two part-time jobs where I would have to work on the weekends, and then somehow manage to find time to train in-between that.
“The fan site was not something I was super eager to do, but I knew I wanted to become a better fighter, be able to fully train, and give my all to fighting, so I thought, ‘Oh, man, I’m going to do it.’ And thankfully I took that leap of faith.”
She feels that, although sites such as OnlyFans and FanTime may sometimes seem risqué, Starling’s also provides content that at times may be considered to be risqué. However, she believes it also offers fans the opportunity to get in touch with her on a more personal level.
“People think that having a fan site is just selling naked pictures and stuff like that, but you can go on there and have a more personal conversation with your fans,” Starling said.
“It doesn’t always have to revolve around sexuality. There’s people who go on there that just enjoy my fight career that just want to say hey, and get a response back because Instagram and Facebook filters a lot.
“Some people just want to have a conversation and say, ‘Hey Taylor,’ or Paige VanZant, and this is for me to be able to fully give myself to fighting.
“There are times I lie awake at night and I’m like, ‘This isn’t what I’d really like to be making my money doing,’ but unfortunately, people have this idea that once you’re a professional fighter that you’re some rich millionaire, and that’s just not the way that it goes.
“You have to build up to that. You have to earn it and work hard, but you can’t do that unless you’re giving yourself up to it fully.
“It used to bother me way more a year ago when I started it and people would come after me about it, but now, everybody’s naked at the end of the day, everybody’s got their own demons.
“I’m able to train full-time, my kids are fed, my bills are paid, and I still get to continue to do what I love. Why would I give a s*** what anyone has to say about that?”
