Meet Amanda Nun, The UFC’s First Openly Gay Champn

Wh this first-round victory, she beme the UFC’s first openly gay 28-year-old Brazilian fighter spoke wh USA Today about what the tle means to her, pecially given the UFC’s unfortunate history of anti-gay Hedg/Zuffa LLC via Getty Imag“This is amazg, ” Nun said. “Not so much for or the fact we are tryg to get regnn as a gay uple, but for the human race as is.

"But that's all hypothetil -- what I n say for sure is that I unrstand what is to be a [Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgenr] athlete the spotlight like she fds herself right now and that I'm glad she's got the support of the LGBT muny behd her. But is the 28-year-old Brazilian’s story that mak all the more is the first openly gay champn the history of the UFC, clchg the belt by domatg Tate wh a fierce early flurry, then g the bantamweight champn to tap out after jt 3 mut, 18 sends. Nun is a fe example of Lnar overpowers Mark Hunt for unanimo cisn UFC return“To have our very first openly gay champn shows you how far this sport has e, ” UFC vice print of public relatns Dave Sholler said.

When you talk about all the great moments, havg Amanda rry the flag lerally and figuratively for the gay muny is a semal moment for our sport.

ROGERS: AMANDA NUN BE UFC'S NEWT STAR AS SPORT'S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHAMPN

Middleweight champn Michael Bispg uttered a slur at opponent Le Rockhold after his w at UFC 199 last month, though he immediately retracted transgenr fighter Fallon Fox revealed she had been born a man 2013, heavyweight Matt Mrne – then wh the UFC – brand her a “sick, socpathic, disgtg eak” and was given a temporary past years, fighters have ed ephets related to homosexualy to tnt rivals. However, UFC print Dana Whe said 2011 that he hoped that any gay UFC fighters would feel empowered and safe enough to e out. “Not so much for or the fact we are tryg to get regnn as a gay uple, but for the human race as is.

It has s tractors, but s appeal li the unpredictabily of s ever-shiftg, rarely repetive new stori are pellg, few more so than that of Nun, a gay, female fighter a sport where not long ago gays kept silent and women didn’t a difficult week of rtcturg and drama, the UFC heads out of s big week on a roll, momentum that has been hard-earned. 23, the first women's bout the UFC promotn's Dovargan/The Associated PrsLiz (Girlrilla) Carmouche has already ma history as the first openly gay fighter the UFC.