UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley isn’t buying into transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin’s MMA career, blasting her on his YouTube channel and discrediting the integrity of her being allowed to fight biological women.
McLaughlin has made headlines after she became one of the very few openly transgender fighters to compete in MMA. She won her MMA debut with Combate Global, blitzing Celine Provost en route to a submission win in the second round.
O’Malley, however, feels that it’s completely unfair for a biological man who transitioned into a woman to compete against biological women. O’Malley has quickly become one of the most prominent voices in the sport, both on social media and on his podcast.
“I don’t think that’s okay. I just don’t think that’s okay,” O’Malley said. “In just competing in sports, I mean, especially mixed.”
“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.”
O’Malley’s comments come just days after former UFC middleweight champion and current commentator, Michael Bisping, criticized McLaughlin and questioned whether or not it was fair for her to compete. While he said he supports transgender rights, he doesn’t think the same rules apply when it comes to athletic competition, especially when it comes to fighting.
McLaughlin thanked her supporters while blasting her critics during a recent social media post, and has blocked multiple personalities in the sport for being perceived as transphobic.
O’Malley is scheduled to fight in the UFC octagon before year’s end, but nothing has been set in stone just yet. He was rumored to fight Frankie Edgar before contract negotiations fell through.
O’Malley has won back-to-back fights including his dominant performance against Kris Moutinho at UFC 264.
What’s your reaction to Sean O’Malley’s comments regarding Alana McLaughlin?