Sport: Transgender Mixed Martial Arts star loses latest fight
(Facebook)
Controversial transgender mixed martial artist Fallon Fox lost her fourth professional fight over the weekend.
Fox had yet to lose a fight, beginning her career with a 3-0 record, but came unstuck against Ashlee Evans-Smith who knocked her out in the third round of the Championship Fighting Alliance women’s featherweight tournament in Florida.
Ms Fox was the firm favourite to win, having generated a significant amount of media interest since it became apparent she had transitioned seven years ago.
Up until that point, she had been seen as a woman MMA fighter to her training partners – but due to circumstances beyond her control, Fallon was forced to discuss details of her transition publicly.
“These past six years, people have seen me as a woman, not a transsexual,” Ms Fox said at the time.
“People in the gym, people I train with, it’s been great, it’s been awesome. I’m just a woman to them.
“I don’t want that to go away. It’s unfortunate that it has to.”
38-year-old Fox, who is the first openly transgender athlete in MMA history, has faced a number of criticisms over claims that she has an ‘advantage’ over her opponents – with fellow fighter Ronda Rousey even refusing to fight her.
However, researchers have been quick to point out that a trans woman would actually be at a significant disadvantage in terms of bone strength and muscle density, as a result of hormone treatments.
Fox has continuously rebuffed claims that she has an unfair advantage, even releasing a video to set the record straight.
“Transgender people have been competing in professional sports since 1976,” she said.
“Nobody has come forward with any verifiable evidence showing that transgender women have a competitive advantage over their peers in sports.”
