At age 16 , Rob McCullough walked into an LA Boxing gym for the first time . The teen had left home , moving from one friend 's couch to another , and now finally felt like he found a place where he belonged . `` I went to the gym and worked out , and worked out my stuff , '' he says . `` That was kind of my safe haven . '' After taking his first class and leaving with a compliment from the instructor , McCullough was hooked . `` It built self-confidence , '' he recalls . `` At the end of the day , I felt great about it . '' Life was difficult at times for McCullough and his seven siblings who were raised by a single mother . Constantly relocating , he remembers how other kids were not always welcoming when the family moved to a new neighborhood . `` I dealt with bullying growing up as a kid because I was always the new guy at the school , '' he says . By the time he reached high school , a new challenge would shape his future . `` Going to a school with a lot of gangs at one point was kind of one of the things that got me to start and think , 'If I learned how to fight really well , people wo n't want to bother me at all , ' `` he says . McCullough , known to his fans as `` the Razor , '' did n't just learn to fight . He went on to become a World Extreme Cagefighting and five-time United World Muay Thai Association champion , making a successful career taking down opponents in the ring . From a childhood with such challenges , McCullough found both a passion and an occupation . `` I found sports . I found mixed martial arts ; it was like therapy , '' he says . Now McCullough , together with LA Boxing , said he wants other children who face bullying to have the same opportunity . `` I would like to share with other kids that maybe if they are going through issues of being bullied , or they are a bully , it 's a place that they can go to to work that stuff out , '' he says . Through the anti-bullying campaign , McCullough said he is sending a message to kids . `` We are going to schools in neighboring areas that we have gyms , so that these kids know there is a safe haven that they can go to . '' The campaign reaches out to children by holding interactive assemblies at schools nationwide , promoting gyms as a positive resource for building self-confidence . He is n't doing it alone . Big names in the martial arts arena , such as Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White and former light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz , have joined in to help stop bullying and promote their sport . `` We are guys that fight for a living , and we could obviously be mistaken for bullies , but we are nothing of the sort , '' McCullough says . `` We fight for many reasons , but we do n't fight to be bullies . '' For some of these fighters , the struggle with bullying is personal . `` I have interesting stories from guys that are current active fighters , '' McCullough says. `` I had one guy say , ' I would love to be a part of this campaign because I used to stutter and I got made fun of all through high school . ' `` McCullough now has another reason to get involved . `` I have a 2-year-old son , and I started to think about it , '' he says . `` What if my kid gets picked on ? '' Martial arts may not appeal to all the children in the campaign 's assemblies , but McCullough said he is sure the message is true for everyone . `` I think at the end of the day it 's respect , '' he says . `` Sports did it for me , and it did it for a lot of my friends that are professional athletes . It gives you something to focus on . ''
Rob `` the Razor '' McCullough is a top fighter in mixed martial arts . Changing schools often , he spent much of his childhood dealing with bullies . McCullough joined with LA Boxing to lead a nationwide anti-bullying campaign . He has been featured on national television and radio shows such as 20/20 and The Today Show.