Several fighters have weighed in with their opinions on infamous transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, and UFC star Ronda Rousey is the latest to address the hot-button controversy.
In short, Rousey is not a fan of Fox.
During a recent interview with the New York Post, Rousey heavily criticized Fox for competing in the women’s division, stating that she could “try hormones” and “chop her pecker off,” but would still have “the same bone structure a man has.”
Rousey also commented on the UFC’s quick decision to suspend Matt Mitrione following his public tirade (via MMA Fighting) against Fox during a recent episode of The MMA Hour:
Rousey said Mitrione worded his views “extremely poorly” and believes the UFC was justified in suspending the heavyweight fighter. But she thinks his sentiments came from the right place. In Rousey’s opinion, Mitrione believes Fox is still a man, who wants to beat up women for a living.
“I understand the UFC doesn’t want to be associated with views like that,” Rousey said. “I’m also glad they didn’t straight cut him.”
While Mitrione won’t be cut from the UFC, the former NFL player and The Ultimate Fighter alumnus may be required to complete a public service for an organization within the LGBT community.
Shortly after Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour aired online, the UFC issued a public statement calling Mitrione’s interview “transphobic,” “offensive” and “wholly unacceptable.”
Rousey is certainly not a stranger to public controversy herself, drawing the ire of MMA fans after posting a conspiratorial video on her Twitter account suggesting that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings were partially a media fabrication, if not outright hoaxed in some capacity.
Still, Rousey is adamant that the UFC is no place for Fox, telling the New York Post that while she personally had no problem competing against hermaphrodites in the Olympics, someone who made the decision to change gender like Fox is a completely different story:
It’s not something that happened to [Fox]. It was a decision she made. She should be aware in her career after that, it’s going to be an arduous path. I don’t know why she’s surprised by that. It’s going to draw a lot of emotions.
What if she became UFC champion and we had a transgender women’s champion? It’s a very socially difficult situation.
Although Fox is unlikely to see any invitations to compete in the UFC, she’s open to a shot in the all-women’s Kansas City promotion Invicta Fighting Championship, according to her manager.
Regardless of her future ambitions, Fox is currently licensed by the Florida State Boxing Commission to continue fighting in the Championship Fighting Alliance, with her next bout set for May 24 in the semifinals of the company’s $20,000 women’s featherweight championship tournament.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania & The L.A. Times.
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