She not only dedicated her career to working with children with special needs, but when when she walks through the elementary school doors, she really mixes it up. Zappitella is small in stature at 4 feet, 11 inches -- not much taller than the elementary school students she worked with. “I knew I wanted to be a fighter.”As a professional MMA fighter, Zappitella is 7-2 -- a bulldog in the game. “If you were making assumptions about her stature, you would be wrong.”Like the assumption that a 4′11″ educator couldn’t also be an MMA World Champion. "I don’t like fighting, but when I get in that cage, I’m a warrior”Zappitella is the main event.