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:
- LIST OF GAY UFC FIGHTERS (OUT & PROUD MEN & WOMEN)
- OPENLY GAY FIGHTER ‘GOLN PRCS’ BATTL STIGMA, RRI PRI FLAG AHEAD OF TLE FENSE BRAZIL
- FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MMA FIGHTERSDAN YAT IS AN OUT MMA FIGHTER AND MOL
- ANRSON SILVA SAYS THERE ARE LOTS OF HOMOSEXUALS IN MMA AND HE COULD BE GAY
- ARE THERE ANY GAY UFC FIGHTERS? (GAY MMA FIGHTERS ALSO)
- PRI MONTH: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY MALE MMA FIGHTERS?
- GAY MMA FIGHTERS – IS IT A BIG DEAL?
- ANRSON SILVA: THERE ARE A LOT OF GAYS MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
- UFC FIGHTER DONALD CERRONE’S ‘GAY LOVERS’ LE ADDS TO HIS HISTORY OF HOMOPHOBIC MENTS
- ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY FIGHTERS IN THE UFC (MALE & FEMALE)?
- LIST OF GAY UFC FIGHTERS (OUT & PROUD MEN & WOMEN)
- OPENLY GAY FIGHTER ‘GOLN PRCS’ BATTL STIGMA, RRI PRI FLAG AHEAD OF TLE FENSE BRAZIL
- FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MMA FIGHTERSDAN YAT IS AN OUT MMA FIGHTER AND MOL
- ANRSON SILVA SAYS THERE ARE LOTS OF HOMOSEXUALS IN MMA AND HE COULD BE GAY
- ARE THERE ANY GAY UFC FIGHTERS? (GAY MMA FIGHTERS ALSO)
- PRI MONTH: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY MALE MMA FIGHTERS?
- GAY MMA FIGHTERS – IS IT A BIG DEAL?
- ANRSON SILVA: THERE ARE A LOT OF GAYS MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
- UFC FIGHTER DONALD CERRONE’S ‘GAY LOVERS’ LE ADDS TO HIS HISTORY OF HOMOPHOBIC MENTS
- ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY FIGHTERS IN THE UFC (MALE & FEMALE)?
LIST OF GAY UFC FIGHTERS (OUT & PROUD MEN & WOMEN)
Are there any gay UFC fighters? Here is a pilatn of male and female gay fighters the apex MMA promotn. * mma gay fighter *
He also exprsed ncerns about g out to a muny of MMA fans and fighters who regularly exprs homophobic sentiment. In a sport like this where a majory of the fans beg the homophobic c***suckers they are I didn’t see myself dog this durg this part of my reer.
I wanted to be known for my skills and what I’ve dited the last 11 years of my life to and not the ‘bi UFC fighter’ that I’m sure would jt be translated to ‘gay UFC fighter.
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.
OPENLY GAY FIGHTER ‘GOLN PRCS’ BATTL STIGMA, RRI PRI FLAG AHEAD OF TLE FENSE BRAZIL
Washgton Duarte beme the first openly gay man to e out durg his MMA reer Brazil. * mma gay fighter *
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. Amanda Nun The Brazilian MMA star is no stranger to the UFC or the world of mixed martial Nun is one of the most ement members of the gay muny the UFC but also bee she is credibly talented what she of May 2022, Amanda Nun currently holds the UFC Women’s Featherweight to fightg the UFC, Amanda Nun fought the Strikeforce promotns, where she effectively tablished herself as one of the tought MMA fighters the reputatn she created was tegral her short stt wh Invicta Fightg Champnships before she moved on to the UFC.
Raquel Penngton is one of the lbian UFC fighters who is vol about her revealed to fans ndidly how she me out as a lbian and also nveyed her thoughts on the stggl of beg a gay athlete. Tecia TorrPhoto: @teciatorrOne of the current gay fighters UFC who is openly lbian, Torr, is no stranger to the MMA star, who is one of the top-rated stars the UFC female strawweight divisn, began her MMA reer over a ago and has tablished herself as a ntenr for the UFC Strawweight ’s major troductn to the sport started October 2012 when she ma her promotnal but the Invicta Fightg stt at Invicta was short, as her potential ught the attentn of the UFC, who offered her a place the ele December Torr was one of the first 11 women signed to the UFC strawweight divisn and also was a st member The Ultimate Fighter realy show.
FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MMA FIGHTERSDAN YAT IS AN OUT MMA FIGHTER AND MOL
Are you wonrg if there are any gay UFC fighters? * mma gay fighter *
Concln There you have —the list of the openly gay fighters there are no openly gay male UFC fighters, the promotn, through s print Dana Whe has ma known how supportive they will be should any male MMA fighter tak the brave step of g the current members of the LGBTQ muny the UFC, there has been mostly no difference their reers pared to their straight Out The Intertg Articl on BiglySports:Top 20 Hottt Female UFC Fighters Of All TimeHow Much Do UFC Rg Girls Make? Washgton Duarte beme the first openly gay man to e out durg his MMA reer Brazil, and he hop spir others to follow his steps the future.
Wh over a experience MMA, Duarte said he was always known as a gay fighter his home of Amapa, cludg by UFC veteran and trag partner Tiago Trator. “Tiago said he’s never seen a gay fighter before anywhere he went, and I always sist that there are many gay men out there [ MMA], but they don’t have the urage to e out. Duarte said the MMA world is “very” homophobic, and he’s been through many suatns where straight men simply refed to fight or even tra wh him.
“I thought was a joke, that he already had a trip planned or whatever, but then he nfirmed to me that he was too embarrassed to lose to a gay man.
ANRSON SILVA SAYS THERE ARE LOTS OF HOMOSEXUALS IN MMA AND HE COULD BE GAY
* mma gay fighter *
"I wanted to be known for my skills and what I've dited the last 11 years of my life to and not the 'bi UFC fighter' that I'm sure would be translated to 'gay UFC fighter', " Mola add. He add: “I wanted to be known for my skills and what I’ve dited the last 11 years of my life to not and not the ‘bi ufc fighter’ that I’m sure would jt be translated to ‘gay UFC fighter. And not 'the bi UFC fighter' that I'm sure would jt be translated to 'gay UFC fighter.
He may no longer be a champn si of the octagon, but Anrson Silva is beg a champn for gay rights. Out of that lp, only the UFC and the NBA have had openly gay athlet durg their reers (Jason Colls the NBA and Liz Carmouche the UFC. It would shock a lot of people to learn that the UFC is a lot more acceptg of homosexualy than other more tablished sports, sce they still have the image of barbaric gefighters rather than profsnal athlet to those who are naive to the sport.
“I don’t thk there’s prejudice, but there’s a lot of homosexuals mixed martial arts. The two major take aways om this are that if you take re of your stuff, put thgs bags, and e soap… you might be gay. 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)
The UFC fighter says: "You want to be gay, be gay, ’s all right." * mma gay fighter *
Tonya EvgerGay MMA Fighters (Mal)Shad Smh (2008)Washgton DuarteJordan FlknerThe Bottom Le.
PRI MONTH: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY MALE MMA FIGHTERS?
Among today's champns, trailblazers, fan-favor, and hot prospects are openly gay women * mma gay fighter *
MMA promotns and the UFC promote pri month and openly support gay fighters; enuragg them to e out. 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.
GAY MMA FIGHTERS – IS IT A BIG DEAL?
Durg the UFC on ESPN 24 media day on Wednday, Cerrone referred to former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez and Sanchez’s ach, Joshua Fabia, as ‘gay lovers’ pejoratively. * mma gay fighter *
This is pecially te for male UFC fighters, where there hasn’t been a sgle male fighter to e out as gay such a macho sport.
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. In 2012 Whe also said, “It’s water unr the bridge but I’m looked at now like I’m some type of homophobe.
ANRSON SILVA: THERE ARE A LOT OF GAYS MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Are there any gay UFC fighters? Here is a pilatn of male and female gay fighters the apex MMA promotn. * mma gay fighter *
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.
Also, gay male athlet have plenty of evince om other sports that attus toward them are negative and the issue is still very polarizg. 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. 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.
Not only is there outsi abe but there are negative feelgs towards gay fighters wh the UFC. In a 2011 terview, Anton Rodrigo Nogueira said “I have no prejudice agast gays, but I wouldn’t tra wh someone who’s gay”.
UFC FIGHTER DONALD CERRONE’S ‘GAY LOVERS’ LE ADDS TO HIS HISTORY OF HOMOPHOBIC MENTS
Washgton Duarte beme the first openly gay man to e out durg his MMA reer Brazil. * mma gay fighter *
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. Gay male UFC fighters received a huge boost of nfince and support when the UFC celebrated pri month for the third time 2022. He’d prevly participated gay pornography and let the UFC know about this when applyg, and they accepted him for the show.
ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY FIGHTERS IN THE UFC (MALE & FEMALE)?
Are you wonrg if there are any gay UFC fighters? * mma 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.
“I am a heterosexual guy a tough macho sport, which is exactly the reason I feel a duty to say I support gay marriage and gay rights. In 2017, Marc Diakie ma history when he beme the first UFC fighter to appear a gay magaze, the Gay Tim.
LIST OF GAY UFC FIGHTERS (OUT & PROUD MEN & WOMEN)
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. * mma gay fighter *
Not gay himself, Marc exprsed how he’s fightg for equaly and how he was tryg to attract a new dience to the UFC. 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.
OPENLY GAY FIGHTER ‘GOLN PRCS’ BATTL STIGMA, RRI PRI FLAG AHEAD OF TLE FENSE BRAZIL
The UFC fighter says: "You want to be gay, be gay, ’s all right." * mma gay fighter *
Amanda has been openly gay ever sce she first turned to profsnal MMA 2008, but has spoken of her stggl g out as a child.
FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MMA FIGHTERSDAN YAT IS AN OUT MMA FIGHTER AND MOL
Among today's champns, trailblazers, fan-favor, and hot prospects are openly gay women * mma gay fighter *
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.
ANRSON SILVA SAYS THERE ARE LOTS OF HOMOSEXUALS IN MMA AND HE COULD BE GAY
Jsi turned profsnal 2011 and was already an openly gay fighter as she’s never felt the need to hi who she tly is. In her 2013 UFC but, she lost agast Liz Carmouche, which was the first time UFC history that two openly gay fighters had fought. While Jsi Andra don’t speak too much on the subject as she’s all bs, she once revealed how gay women fight harr bee they feel they’re beg judged.
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.
ARE THERE ANY GAY UFC FIGHTERS? (GAY MMA FIGHTERS ALSO)
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. Raquel Penngton is famoly datg another gay UFC fighter, Tecia Torr, wh the uple gettg married 2022.
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.
PRI MONTH: WHY ARE THERE NO OPENLY GAY MALE MMA FIGHTERS?
Dpe there not beg any gay male UFC fighters, there has been a uple of gay MMA fighters over the years. 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). 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.
GAY MMA FIGHTERS – IS IT A BIG DEAL?
Washgton Duarte is the first openly gay male MMA fighter to e out Brazil, wh a somewhat qutnable nickname, ‘The Ltle Goln Prcs’. While Brazil seems mon for women to e out as gay, much like the UFC, ’s a lot harr for men to e out bee of the stigma surroundg .
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. He has aspiratns to make to the UFC which would make him the first openly gay male UFC fighter. And while there have been some gay male MMA fighters, none of them have ever been the limelight and have therefore remaed mostly unheard of.
ANRSON SILVA: THERE ARE A LOT OF GAYS MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
However, wh their bravery, they’ve paved the way for a gay male UFC fighter, but when this will happen, no one knows.
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.
UFC FIGHTER DONALD CERRONE’S ‘GAY LOVERS’ LE ADDS TO HIS HISTORY OF HOMOPHOBIC MENTS
Mola's rabow-themed shorts were ma by the UFC support of Pri MonthWhy are there no openly gay male MMA fighters? "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.
ARE THERE ANY OPENLY GAY FIGHTERS IN THE UFC (MALE & FEMALE)?
"I feel like [gay] men are nervo of the backlash they're gog to take, " McCann, 32, told BBC Sport. "To be a gay man, sometim a heterosexual male might nounce that as not very mascule and they will downplay . "I remember at my gym, there were guys who qutned themselv and 's like 'well whatever, if you are [gay] then you are, no problem', " said McCann.
"I n pretty much guarantee if straight men knew there was a gay man [ the gym] this day and age that we're now, most of them wouldn't re. Whilst there are many lbians fightg at var different weights on the roster, there is not an openly gay man who do, or has fought the UFC. This is not jt a strange occurrence the UFC eher, we rearched across a lot of fight promotns worldwi such as Cage Warrrs, Bellator, ONE, Junglefight, and var others, yet uld not fd an openly gay all, would seem strange that there are a handful of lbians the 107 woman roster, yet no homosexuals well over 1000 male fighters – approximately a 10 tim larger sample.
Part of the reason why there are no open homosexuals is likely due to the ridicule they would receive upon announcement. Homosexualy is turned to an even stranger topic when the manager of Plo Costa, Walid Ismail quoted “Asanya has homosexual stcts and he should be studied by science”. This short sentence sums up why some fighters want to rema the closet, there is simply too much drama around beg homosexual.