With the MMA community deadlocked in an endless debate over sexual orientation and ethics, Fallon Fox continued to do what she always does at Cage Fighting Alliance 11 on Friday night: beat people up and get her hand raised.
The openly transgendered female fighter moved onto the finals of the inaugural featherweight tournament after submitting Allanna Jones with a shin choke.
Jones, who put up a valiant effort throughout the bout, writhed in pain before finally giving in at 3:36 of the third round. A chorus of boos echoed throughout the arena after the fight, but the crowd never flustered “The Queen of Swords,” who was all smiles after winning her third straight professional bout.
“I noticed she just tried to get away from me so it was hard trying to catch up to her,” Fox said in her post-fight interview. “[The submission] was kind of a knee ride choke that chokes them out, pretty awesome.”
Fox has been the subject of controversy since the big reveal of her sexual orientation to Sports Illustrated in March.
In an exclusive interview with MMA journalist Loretta Hunt, Fox stated that she had undergone gender reassignment surgery back in 2006, which also included supplemental hormonal therapy.
According to a tweet by Hunt, Fox “wasn’t required to provide transgender history” to get sanctioned for the bout with Jones, per the Florida State Boxing Commission.
Jones played defensive the entire fight in an attempt to avoid Fox’s devastating knockout power. Her entire game plan appeared to be based on countering and avoiding wild stand-up exchanges, which worked extremely well at certain points in the fight.
Fox would often push forward with punches in an attempt to bait Jones into unnecessary exchanges. As she backpedaled, Jones was able to find openings to counter effectively and keep things interesting on the feet.
Fox, who had blood trickling from her nose early in the first round, showed composure and the ability to adjust on the fly. Instead of being overaggressive, she settled down and really began to dig into Jones’ leg with outside leg kicks.
When Jones attempted to fire back with kicks of her own, Fox would change levels and secure a takedown. The takedowns proved pivotal in this fight for Fox, who was completely gassed by the end of the first round.
After snagging a leg for a takedown in the final round, Fox transitioned to the north-south position, slid her shin across Jones’ neck and waited for the tap.
With her third win, talks have continued to heat up from Fox’s camp about the possibility of joining the women’s bantamweight division in the UFC.
When asked about the chances of the UFC signing Fox, UFC President Dana White claimed it was too far into the future to even talk about,during an appearance on The Abe Kanan Show. For now, her primary focus should be on her upcoming finals matchup with Ashlee Evans-Smith, and everything else will eventually fall into place.
If Fox is licensed and continues to win impressively, it could only be a matter of time before the UFC opens its doors.
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