Jeff Molina was forced to disclose his sexuality online.
UFC bantamweight Jeff Molina announced on Twitter today that he is bi. This marks the first time a UFC fighter, who is male, has disclosed that they are not heterosexual. He joins dozens of women, both in and out the UFC, as openly queer professional mixed martial artists.
Unfortunately, Molina’s announcement came after an intimate and private video featuring him was stolen and leaked online.
— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) March 17, 2023
“Welp.. this f—king sucks,” began Molina’s announcement.
“Not the way I wanted to do this but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken from me. I’ve tried to keep my dating life private from social media. I’ve dated girls my whole life and suppressed feelings I had throughout high school on the wrestling team, throughout college pursuing MMA, and even after making part of the dream happen and getting into the UFC.
“I’m a pretty masculine dude and that bro-y banter and sus sense of humor has always been how I am. Thought of my buddies, teammates, and ppl I look up to looking at me different let alone treating me different for something I can’t control was something I couldn’t fathom. In a sport like this where a majority of the fans being the homophobic cocksuckers they are I didn’t see myself doing this during this part of my career. I wanted to be known for my skills and what I’ve dedicated the last 11 years of my life to not and not the “bi ufc fighter” that I’m sure would just be translated to “gay UFC fighter”.
“To the awful disturbed person that decided to post this ishh I hope it was worth it. At the end of the day I know my character, morals, and who I am as a person. As much as I’m getting hated/shitted on I’m getting an equal amount of support & it means a f—k ton.”
Molina joined the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, with a victory over Jacob Silva. After that he beat Aoriqileng, Daniel da Silva and Zhalgas Zhumagulov to improve his pro MMA record to 11-2.
Last year Molina was the only male fighter to wear a UFC fight kit that included rainbow colours in celebration of Pride. Molina later revealed that he had received backlash from MMA fans as a result, stating “I just thought in 2022 people would be a little more open-minded and not pieces of shit. But I guess I was wrong.”
Molina’s status as an active UFC fighter is currently unclear. Molina was recently suspended by the UFC and the Nevada Athletic Commission as part of an investigation into Molina’s coach, and former UFC fighter, James Krause. That investigation is focused on betting activity and whether or not active and former UFC fighters were using insider information to gamble on fights they or their teammates were involved in.