As part of Pri Month, BBC Sport looks at why there is a lack of openly gay male MMA fighters and what needs to change.
Contents:
- PRI MONTH: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY MALE MMA FIGHTERS?
- ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY FIGHTERS IN THE UFC (MALE & FEMALE)?
- ARE THERE ANY GAY UFC FIGHTERS? (GAY MMA FIGHTERS ALSO)
- LIST OF GAY UFC FIGHTERS (OUT & PROUD MEN & WOMEN)
- THE FIGHT TO GET GAY VIO GAM
- OPENLY GAY FIGHTER ‘GOLN PRCS’ BATTL STIGMA, RRI PRI FLAG AHEAD OF TLE FENSE BRAZIL
- GAYTALY: ULTIMATE GAY FIGHTER KICKS SEVEN SHAS OUT OF THE RABOW
- GAY FIGHTER BE REN FIGHTG
- A RANKED LIST OF THE BT GAY UFC FIGHTERS. ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY UFC FIGHTERS?
- GAY MMA FIGHTERS – IS IT A BIG DEAL?
PRI MONTH: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY MALE MMA FIGHTERS?
* gay fighter *
"Until there's more people [like Mola] who are vol wantg to create a welg environment, there's gog to be barriers for LGBT athlet - pecially LGBT gay male athlet. "'It's crazy how much we hi who we are'Smh (left) is creded wh beg the first man to e out profsnal MMAThe ntrast between the men's and women's divisns of the MMA is stark, wh Amanda Nun, Liz Carmouche and Molly McCann three of several openly gay female McCann, who tailed her story of g out on the BBC's LGBT Sport Podst, believ gay male fighters are held back by stereotyp. For stance, Amanda Nun, a female bantamweight fighter, ma history by beg the first openly gay fighter the UFC and the first female two-divisn champn.
ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY FIGHTERS IN THE UFC (MALE & FEMALE)?
Are you wonrg if there are any gay UFC fighters? * gay fighter *
Furthermore, Nick Rg, a fighter-nttant, was “exposed” as havg worked gay porn and produced a few films durg the 11th season of the UFC TV show on Spike’s “The Ultimate Fighter, ” or TUF.
However, the UFC will eventually be even more acceptg of openly gay fighters, and hopefully, soon, the athlet will only be judged on the performance they put on the le the ge, not on the basis of anythg else. In this article, we’ll look at the plete list of gay UFC fighters, why there aren’t any gay male UFC fighters and the plete list of openly gay male MMA fighters.
ARE THERE ANY GAY UFC FIGHTERS? (GAY MMA FIGHTERS ALSO)
Are there any gay UFC fighters? Here is a pilatn of male and female gay fighters the apex MMA promotn. * gay fighter *
Dpe this, while MMA and the UFC likely have some gay male fighters, they’re unwillg to e out as gay bee of the stigma surroundg beg gay martial arts and sports overall. There are no openly gay male UFC Fighters bee they’re sred to e out a sport where beg gay is looked down upon and feme, and where onle abe is so mon. Whe has repeatedly apologized, and 2011 Whe said about gay fighters, “I wish they’d e out”, and “If you’re an athlete the UFC and you are gay, I uld re ls.
So, spe Whe beg scere his apologi, gay male UFC fighters may look at that those remarks 2009 and have some doubt their md when they thk about g out as gay – pecially when ’s the head of the promotn sayg those thgs.
The NFL and NBA prevly operated unr the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, seeg homosexualy as a distractn om the game and keepg many gay athlet the closet.
LIST OF GAY UFC FIGHTERS (OUT & PROUD MEN & WOMEN)
Among today's champns, trailblazers, fan-favor, and hot prospects are openly gay women * gay fighter *
There were ments like, “Man you support gay people, you’re gonna burn hell” – showg ’s no wonr that gay fighters are aaid to e out when a heterosexual fighter showg support for them gets this much abe. Other UFC fighters have e unr scty for homophobic ments, such as Donald Cerrone, Josh Thompson, and Sean Strickland, who for the most part have gotten away wh their remarks. On the other hand, the UFC and MMA have been vol their welg of gay fighters, pecially Dana Whe who most know don’t re about people’s sexual orientatn – he’s only foced on promotg the bt fighters and the bs si of the MMA.
THE FIGHT TO GET GAY VIO GAM
After beg oted om the U.S. ary for beg gay, she beme an early fighter for gay rights and a proment figure the nascent L.G.B.T.Q. rights movement. * gay fighter *
Dakota mataed he was heterosexual, but this unequivolly shows that the UFC wel gay male UFC fighters, and what they offer as a fighter is the only thg that matters. In 2013, former UFC fighter, Rashad Evans, me out support of gay marriage, sayg on the issue, “ ‘I’m a UFC fighter, a macho-type sport, ” he explaed.
OPENLY GAY FIGHTER ‘GOLN PRCS’ BATTL STIGMA, RRI PRI FLAG AHEAD OF TLE FENSE BRAZIL
How Ultimate Gay Fighter end up agast the rop. * gay fighter *
Overall, homosexualy the UFC and MMA is an extremely polarizg topic, and while there have been fighters supportg the LGBTQ muny, ’s anyone’s gus as to when there’ll be the first openly gay male UFC fighter. The most high-profile gay UFC fighter is Amanda Nun, due to her domance and beg the first gay UFC champn and only the third double champn behd Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier. Alongsi her wife, Na Nun, another former UFC fighter, they’re both seen as role mols wh the LGBTQ muny and always want to help people e out as gay and not hi who they tly are.
Liz Carmouche was the first openly gay UFC fighter when she fought the UFC’s first female bout agast the gural bantamweight champn, Ronda Roey, at UFC 157 January 2013. Not only was Liz the first openly gay UFC fighter, but she had also long been a proud voice for the LGBTQ muny, exprsg her thoughts and challeng of beg a gay MMA athlete and former gay mare where she spent 5 years. Amazgly, 2021 Molly published a short-illtrated book lled ‘Be Te To You’, discsg her cisn to e out as gay, as well as helpg young people discs their sexualy and have self-acceptance about .
Raquel Penngton was volved UFC history when she fought agast Amanda Nun at UFC 224, May 2018; beg the first UFC tle bout to feature two openly gay UFC fighters.
GAYTALY: ULTIMATE GAY FIGHTER KICKS SEVEN SHAS OUT OF THE RABOW
Washgton Duarte beme the first openly gay man to e out durg his MMA reer Brazil. * gay fighter *
Durg her time on the show, Penngton shared to her hoemat her g out story and what was like to be gay MMA, wh the news beg well received and posive. Controversial to say the least, but she always ma clear throughout her reer that she was gay and didn’t re what people thought; ultimately providg a platform for others to e out. The first male MMA fighter to e out as gay was Shad Smh 2008, where he was also the first gay male athlete across Ameri’s biggt 5 sports (MMA beg the fifth).
GAY FIGHTER BE REN FIGHTG
Is “the world's first gay vio game” an affectnate homage to a vibrant muny or clumsy rercement… * gay fighter *
It’s the stereotype of gay men that they want to fight you bee of a sexual preference, rather than wantg to be the bt martial artist and ttg their skills agast an opponent.
After retirement, Shad Smh received backlash as was found out that he’d appeared gay adult films before enterg to MMA, which is somethg he’d never disclosed. It’s wily known that a Brazilian fighter actually left his hometown after gettg knocked out by Washgton, explag he was too embarrassed after losg to a gay man. It’s gog to take an extreme amount of urage for the first gay male UFC fighter to e out bee we’ve seen the abe Jeff Mola received 2022 by merely supportg the Pri lors on his Venum shorts.
Also, not only is urage preventg the first male but sexual preference and fightg are separate matters and many gay fighters see no need to mix them, pecially when there’s a high chance uld affect their reers.
A RANKED LIST OF THE BT GAY UFC FIGHTERS. ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY UFC FIGHTERS?
From male and female gay UFC fighters to enuragg closet members to reveal their inty to the world, the MMA muny embrac Pri month a spectacular welg as the MMA is to LGBTQIA+ members, at the apex MMA promotn, rervatns persist regardg the acceptabily of members to the doubt LGBTQIA+ members abound the women’s UFC; is a different realy the UFC domated by article explor the realy of the LGBTQIA+ muny the UFC and also prents the list of male and female openly gay UFC fighters. Before we lve to our list of UFC gay fighters, the recurrg qutn regardg why no gay fighter exists the male divisn of the promotn has to be fairly answered.
GAY MMA FIGHTERS – IS IT A BIG DEAL?
In 2009 UFC print, Dana Whe was ptured a vio blog posted on the UFC webse which he took swiped at women and obsceny-lan vio was a rponse to a story by a longtime MMA reporter Loretta Hunt of, which he claimed rrectly reported on UFC polici and crentialg of managers and agents relatn to their vio stck the nerve of the members of the LGBTQIA+ muny, such as the Gay & Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn (GLAAD), who requted that Whe apologize. Though Dana Whe apologized, this was the first major ht potg to a rocky relatnship between the UFC as well as Whe and the gay there were doubts about Whe and the promotn’s stance on gay fighters UFC, those doubts were effectively cleared Febary Whe revealed that should a UFC male fighter e out openly as gay, he would support such fighters and help wh any potential down the le, spe the reassurg words of Whe on supportg male UFC gay fighters, the UFC male divisns boast of no openly gay, however, is not a reflectn of anti-gay sentiments the fact, the UFC star Marc Diakie dubbed the Bonecsher, beme the first UFC star to appear a gay fact that no openly gay UFC star exist is not an issue unique to the MMA general, pecially male sports, do not have gay top-flight sports which generate lots of buzz and tert boast of few to zero athlet who openly intify as members of the gay muny This, th, is no issue peculiar to the UFC but to sports Complete List of Gay UFC Fighters 1.