(Seems legit, right? Photo via mixedmartialarts.com)
By Nathan Smith
Ever since Al Gore invented the internet, print media has slowly walked The Green Mile towards obscurity. Major publications have gone belly up and my kids will probably miss out on cracking open the Sports page while drinking a nice cup of coffee in the morning because newspapers are fading quick. Many magazines have had to resort to gimmicky publicity stunts to keep their heads above water, sling a few more issues, and make payroll for the next month. Whether it is the first photo of some garbage-ass (yeah, I’m bringing it back) reality star’s child or coaxing a pseudo-celebrity with a possible substance abuse problem to get naked, print publications are truly scraping the bottom of the barrel. [Ed. note: Good thing we’re above stuff like that.]
Potentially proving this point is the picture above which surfaced on The UG yesterday showing a photo-shoot of everyone’s favorite transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox with the caption:
GQ Magazine photoshoot today with a true Pioneer of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts.. Fallon Fox – Future UFC and Invicta FC Champion
Look for huge spread feature story in GQ Mag, October 2013!!
Jen Wenk comes on board now Nike backing, GQ magazine.
Do not let that creepy-ass crying baby fool you. I am not a bigot, or a racist or a sexist or an extremist and I think the left as well as the right wing political factions are both blinded by their own arrogance. I just HATE people in general. White, black, brown, yellow, purple, bi, gay, straight, democrat, republican, gentile or Jew [Ed. note: You forgot greasers] — I am an equal opportunity hater of all things that are idiotic regardless of race, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or creed. I HATE all of you (except ALF – donate, you deadbeats). That being said, IF the alleged photo is indeed for GQ, the caption that accompanies that picture is the stupidest thing I have ever read. So, excuse me while I write this out and I guess I’ll start at the beginning.
For starters, there is zero evidence (other than the pic and caption) of a GQ feature story and photo spread of Fallon Fox set to appear in a future issue. Most of the time when photos are leaked for an upcoming/anticipated magazine issue, they may surface initially on an underground forum post (like the aforementioned) but they don’t stay there for long before big name media outlets (like CagePotato.com) poach the story. Secondly, the backdrop and the overall photo quality appear to be fairly inexpensive, if not damn cheap for a publication of GQ’s notoriety. Seriously, is that a high school drama club stage? Strike 1.
Secondly, I think that Megumi Fujii, Gina Carano, Kim Couture just kidding, Cris Cyborg, and Ronda Rousey might take exception to the “true Pioneer of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts” line. Hell, I bet that makes Carina Damm want to challenge Fox to a pissing contest. The Fabulous Moolah was more of a trailblazer than Fox will ever be and somewhere all of the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling are wringing their hands with frustration. After seeing Fallon’s last fight, I won’t even begin to comment on the “Future UFC and Invicta FC Champion” line. Strike 2.
Finally, when it comes to former UFC PR Director Jen Wenk’s involvement in this ordeal, I have very little to stand on. The only thing I can say is she left the UFC to start her own PR agency and the last I heard, she was affiliated with the Blackzilians but I’m too tired to do any more research at this semi-lucid moment. Now, IF Nike is on board, my Spider senses are telling me that Fox’s involvement in this could be a possible publicity grab for the company’s new #BeTrue line which is in support of the Lesbian and Gay community. (See here for more photo evidence.) The apparel giant recently brought on NBA player Jason Collins, who recently came out to promote the #BeTrue fashion line, and Nike could also be trying to capitalize on the unique story of Fox. Regardless, there is just too much speculation to grant any of this as gospel. Strike 3.
Could all of this be true? Sure.
Am I the eternal pessimist? Absolutely yes.
Do you think I am wrong? Sound off.