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Hailing from the city of Toledo, Ohio, professional MMA fighter Fallon Fox has seen all the octagon has to offer her. But her trials and tribulations with life don't end there.
Born on November 29th, 1975, Fox is the first openly transgender athlete in MMA history. Assigned to the male gender at birth, she has received many criticisms by organizations, commentators, and shockingly even fighters for having an undue physical advantage over her female counterparts.
With increasing indecisiveness on the part of the California State Athletic Commission to come to terms with her licensing procedures, media houses and publications went into a frenzy. So much so that even MMA commentator and expert Joe Rogan couldn't refrain from having his controversial say on the matter:
"She's a transgender, post-op person. The operation doesn't shave down your bone density. It doesn't change. You look at a man's hands and you look at a woman's hands and they're built different. They're just thicker, they're stronger, your wrists are thicker, your elbows are thicker, your joints are thicker. Just the mechanical function of punching, a man can do it much harder than a woman can, period."
Rogan also pitched in on a reply to VICE Media's opinion on the same:
Fox would however get her much-awaited break with her victory over Ericka Newsome at CFA 10 on March 2, 2013. CFA co-founder Jorge De La Noval, who promoted the fight, would later postpone Fallon Fox's next fight due to increasing confusion about her licensing procedures. However, he did have this to say in support of the fighter:
"As long as she's licensed, she's always welcome in our promotion. We stand behind her and we give her all of our support."
On April 8th, 2013, former UFC fighter Matt Mitrione made questionable transphobic comments against Fallon Fox. Citing the UFC's friendly association with the LGBT community, Mitrione was instantly suspended and fined an undisclosed amount.
In a New York Post interview with former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, 'Rowdy' admitted that she can knock anyone out in the world. But it wasn't said without stating what many, including herself, knew to be obvious.
"I feel like if you go through puberty as a 'man' it's not something you can reverse. ... There's no undo button on that."
Did Fallon Fox ever lose?
Fallon Fox is an unquestionably capable martial artist. But even those one's considered to be at the top suffer unforeseen losses. On October 12, 2013, Fox's maiden loss came against Ashlee Evans-Smith at CFA 12.
The UFC has come to celebrate its female fighters, but the inclusion of transgender fighters on the roster still seems to be a topic of consistent debate.
