"He was always sort of a scrappy little kid wasn't he? A bit of a fighter?"

This quote by Katie Couric seems to suggest that the individual in concern was someone who had a practice of entering fights or standing up for themselves. The term "scrappy" is often used to describe somebody who is tough or figured out, frequently in the face of hardship. The use of the expression "little kid" also suggests that Couric is describing someone who was perhaps more youthful at the time when they showed this habits. It's possible that this quote becomes part of a larger conversation or interview in which Couric is discussing the person's background or character traits.