| Rayna Vallandingham | |
| Birth Name: | Rayna Vallandingham |
| Birth Date: | 18 January 2003 |
| Birth Place: | Encinitas, California, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Years Active: | 2011–present |
Rayna Vallandingham (born January 18, 2003) is an American mixed martial artist, actress, and social media influencer. She is a 13-time world champion in Taekwondo—the youngest one to earn that feat—and holds a fourth-degree black belt.[1]
Vallandingham was born and raised in Southern California.
Her parents are Jeff and Joty Vallandingham who have ancestry from India.
She began practicing taekwondo at the age of 2, encouraged by her grandfather, who played an instrumental role in her early development. By the age of 8, she won her first world championship, becoming one of the youngest black belts to achieve this feat.
Over her career, Vallandingham has earned 13 world titles, excelling in both traditional combat and weapons forms such as the bo staff and nunchaku. She is inspired by martial arts legend Bruce Lee and has collaborated with the Bruce Lee Foundation to promote martial arts worldwide.[2] Alongside her competition accolades, she is a prominent social media influencer with millions of followers,[3] [4] showcasing martial arts as both a sport and an art form.
After winning the XMA Forms world championships, Vallandingham flew to Los Angeles to start her acting career at the age of 10 on Underdog Kids as Leticia Hernandez, directed by six-time taekwondo black belt and actor Phillip Rhee.[5] [6] The movie was released on July 7, 2015.[7] Vallandingham made an appearance in her first music video role in 2018, starring as herself in Youth by Shawn Mendes, featuring Khalid demonstrating her martial arts skills.[8]
Vallandingham starred in her first television show on Netflix's martial arts series, Cobra Kai.[9] [10] She plays a supporting antagonist in the final season, portraying Zara Malik, a cocky, high-maintenance, social media influencer, and skilled martial artist, as a co-captain under the dojo Iron Dragons, starring besides Lewis Tan as Sensei Wolf and Patrick Luwis as Axel Kovačević.[11] Malik was introduced during the Sekai Taikai tournament as the defending champions and as an undefeated rival team.[12]
As an advocate for women in sports, Vallandingham seeks to challenge stereotypes in martial arts, a field traditionally dominated by men. She embraces the phrase “kick like a girl” as a positive expression of strength and skill.[15] [16] She also uses her platform to promote diversity, proudly representing her Indian heritage.