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Former UFC Fighter Paige VanZant Calls 911 After Serial-Stalker Follows Her Across Parkland 5

Giancarlo Galliani {BSO}

Former UFC fighter Paige VanZant called 911 after a man allegedly followed her for over an hour from Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve to Terramar Park, leading to a stalking arrest.

According to a Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Giancarlo Galliani, 21, of Parkland, was taken into custody on April 6 and charged with stalking, including cyberstalking.

Investigators say the incident began earlier that morning while VanZant, referred to in the report under her married name, Vanderford, was at the Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve. Galliani allegedly followed her from the preserve to Terramar Park, trailing her for approximately an hour.

Authorities say Galliani waited in a parking lot at Terramar Park and, upon seeing VanZant again, shouted her name to get her attention before yelling, “Sit on my face!”

VanZant told deputies the encounter was frightening enough that she immediately contacted both her husband — Austin Vanderford, a current active fighter in the UFC — and 911, according to the report.

The affidavit states that after being read his rights, Galliani admitted to following VanZant multiple times and driving back and forth along the same roadway where she was walking.

Investigators noted that his actions served “no legitimate purpose” and caused reason for alarm.

VanZant later positively identified Galliani in a photo lineup. He was arrested at or near his residence on the 6700 block of Long Leaf Drive, transported to the Broward County Main Jail, and later released after posting a $5,000 bond.

VanZant — who has also appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” and built a strong social media following — has publicly discussed previous encounters with stalkers, including a troubling encounter while training at the renowned American Top Team gym in Coconut Creek during the peak of her UFC career.

During a training session, VanZant said she noticed a man watching her from a distance and immediately felt uneasy. Speaking on the podcast she co-hosts with her husband, Bellator middleweight Austin Vanderford, she described the encounter as involving a “big-time stalker.”

“I’m training, and I notice this guy watching me the whole time,” she said, explaining that something about his behavior felt off right away.

At first, she assumed he was just a nervous fan and tried to be polite. But when the man approached her, the situation quickly became unsettling.

“He comes over and starts talking to me, saying how happy he was to meet me, or that we were together,” she recalled.

Confused, VanZant asked his name, and he claimed they had been communicating on Instagram for years. That’s when she checked her messages.

According to VanZant, the man had been sending her messages every day—10 to 20—over roughly four years. The messages included claims that they were meant to be together and that he had been thinking about her constantly, even while he was in jail.

It appears the stalker VanZant alluded to in the video is a different man, as Galliani has no prior jail time and would have been under 18 years old during her time in the UFC.

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Ryan Yousefi

Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiples outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.