It’s no secret that the UFC has been out of the closet as one of the most transphobic organizations in sports. Where other bodies like the International Olympics Committee, NCAA and now the U.S. Olympic Swimming team have confirmed that there is little to no advantage for trans athletes, the UFC has kept its head firmly in the sand.
When MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin made her MMA debut in September, she was subjected to transphobia from all sides of the octagon. Most notably from Joe Rogan, a radio personality who has historically made transphobic comments.
Rogan’s transphobia has been consistent throughout the years, but McLaughlin’s case marks the first time he has made any attempt at a backtrack on his comments.
“Look I don’t have a problem with trans people, right, I have a problem with someone pretending that they’re a biological woman and fighting women. Once you say you’re trans everybody says, ‘Okay, I’ll fight her.’ Fine. I’m fine with that,” said Rogan on the Tim Dillon show.
After making that transphobic remark, Rogan went on to criticize transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas.
These comments pale in comparison to UFC fighter Jake Shields who took to Twitter to write, “This is the ‘woman’ mma fighter that they just allowed to beat up a girl in Florida. So brave of ‘her’ to transition then live ‘her’ dream of beating up women.”
Former UFC fighter Michael Bisping had similar, yet more polite, comments about the fight.
“If you have the body of a man, competing against girls or women when you’re using your body to beat someone unconscious has to be one of those things you sacrifice,” said Bisping.
McLaughlin has been on hormone replacement therapy for a year, which is the time frame for hemoglobin levels in trans women to reach average female levels according to a 2019 study out of Loughborough University. McLaughlin was also cleared to compete against women by the Florida State Boxing Commission. In other words, she did not have the body of a man.
Adding on to the online dog-pile, UFC fighter Sean O’Malley also put in his two cents, “I just don’t think that’s OK … It’s like she had testosterone for, who knows, 20 to 30 years of her life and now I’m a girl. You could tell that’s a dude. A jacked girl. I mean, look at those arms.”
The UFC rallied together to squash the career of transgender fighter Fallon Fox. Fox, in late 2013, was on the rise in the MMA world and there were those who speculated that she might make it to the UFC. That dream came to an end when UFC President Dana White made his thoughts on the matter clear.
“He was a man and now he’s a woman – he’s fighting girls who have losing records. Before you get too crazy about him being in the UFC, he’s so freaking far from being in the UFC that it’s not even funny,” said White.
Things only got worse when former UFC fighter Rhonda Rousey said that Fox had “chop(ed) her pecker off,” and UFC fighter Matt Mitrione called her a “sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak.” Mitrione received less than a slap on the wrist for this remark, getting suspended for only 16 days.
The worst came once again from Rogan, who insisted Fox was a man and made derogatory comments about any potential surgeries she may have had and many other disparaging comments.
The UFC will face more scrutiny in a world that is becoming more accepting of trans people if it does not allow trans athletes to compete.
