Alana McLaughlin made her MMA debut as the second transgender woman in the sport roughly 2 years ago.
After winning a bout against Celine Provost in September 2021, McLaughlin expressed frustration at not receiving recognition as a cisgender woman would.
Combate Global Productions is producing a documentary about McLaughlin’s debut and its relation to the ongoing debate on trans inclusion in sports, to be released in 2023.
Combate Global financed McLaughlin’s camp for her debut and filed copyright notices against channels portraying her debut unfavorably.
McLaughlin is currently preparing for her next bout, with her unnamed opponent.
Prominent figures, including Demian Maia, Sean O’Malley, and Michael Bisping, criticized McLaughlin’s decision to compete against biological women.
As McLaughlin fundraises for her camp, there’s a big question about trans inclusion in MMA. Many outspoken opponents have softened their stance and think it might be okay as long as there’s an awareness about your opponent’s biological status.
UFC GOAT Anderson Silva was recently asked about trans inclusion in MMA on a twitter spaces session:
“This is oh, god, this is very tough conversation, you know?”
“But I respect everybody, you know? But when when you’re talking about the transgendered, you need to respect the the whole situation because it’s not easy for the the normal people is not easy for the transgendered people, is not easy for a gay people (to) live in this world because it is it’s tough, you know, because the these people don’t have too much space, you know, and and in the community, you know, in the normal people, sometimes, you know, the normal is not normal.”
“But try to judge the people because it’s transgender, because it’s gay, because these because I believe in the people need to respect. Because the the when the the final date. Everybody’s a human being, is about human being. You need respect everybody you know.”
“I think let’s go make the the the new category for the transgender it for the people don’t start talk bulls**t about the transgendered people you know and okay. So the people like to fight MMA with the girls is a transgender it okay let’s go create the one category for the transgendered, you know, and that’s it. ”