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Former UFC fighter Jake Shields has chimed in on a situation involving middle school athletics.
As transgender people are welcomed more into society, there has been a debate over what to do regarding athletics. Over the last few years, the subject of transgender athletes in school has come under heavy scrutiny.
Many believe that due to the biological differences between men and women, transgender people should compete under the sex they were assigned at birth. However, others believe that once fully transitioned, it would be unfair for them to compete under those circumstances.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit struck down West Virginia's Save Women's Sports Act. The law would've required transgender individuals to compete under the sex they were assigned at birth.
Afterward, there was a report from Riley Gaines on X, stating that several middle school girls declined to compete against boys after the law was struck down. Five West Virginia girls sat out in protest when put against a biological male.
Check out her post below:
After that post came out, former UFC fighter Jake Shields chimed in on X. There, the former title challenger opined that women shouldn't be forced to compete under these circumstances:
"Men should have stopped this nonsense but since we failed these girls are doing the right thing. Women should not be forced to compete with cheating men."
Check out his post below:
Has a transgender person ever fought in the UFC before?
No trans individual has ever competed in the UFC as of now.
However, there have been several people who have changed genders and fought in combat sports. The most famous of which is former women's featherweight contender Fallon Fox. 'The Queen of Swords' went 5-1 in MMA from 2012 to 2014.
The most recent high-profile transgender MMA fighter is former Combate Global fighter, Alana McLaughlin. 'Lady Feral' faced Celine Provost in September 2021, winning by second-round submission. She hasn't fought since but hasn't retired either.
That's it as far as MMA goes, but there is an active transgender boxer. Patricio Manuel is signed to Golden Boy Promotions as a 3-1 professional and has been competing since 2018. A former female who transitioned to male, she last competed earlier this month against Joshua Brian Reyes losing by first-round knockout.
