Transgender MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin continues to be a hot topic in the combat sports world today, especially with those believing she shouldn’t be allowed to compete as a professional. This includes Jake Shields, who mocked McLaughlin along with former transgender fighter Fallon Fox.
But, Shields’ attempt at mockery backfired in a brutal way after McLaughlin shared a few earlier tweets that Shields made before finding out McLaughlin originally transitioned from man to woman.
Just days after McLaughlin’s MMA debut win in Combate Global by submission, McLaughlin and Fox connected on Twitter to celebrate the former’s big win. Shields weighed in with a picture of McLaughlin looking ripped before making their transition into a woman.
“This is the ‘woman’ MMA fighter that they just allowed to beat up a girl in Florida,” Shields tweeted. “So brave of ‘her’ to transition then live ‘her’ dream of beating up women.”
Following Shields’ controversial tweet, one Twitter user pointed out the hypocrisy of Shields’ comments by pointing out that he once called McLaughlin attractive and dateable in previous posts. McLaughlin got word of the comments and responded to Shields in a brief, brutal way.
McLaughlin has been under fire by the MMA community with many feeling it’s unfair to allow her to compete with biological women inside of the cage. Shields, along with Michael Bisping and Sean O’Malley, has criticized the integrity of McLaughlin’s MMA career.
After their impressive win in Combate Global, all eyes with being on how McLaughlin deals with the public scrutiny and pressure moving forward. It’s unclear when McLaughlin’s fight will be, but it could happen by year’s end.
Shields hasn’t competed in MMA since 2018 when he was knocked out by former PFL champion Ray Cooper III. He had an up-and-down run in PFL before retiring from the sport altogether.
What is your reaction to Jake Shields’ comments, and Alana McLaughlin’s comeback?