Liz Carmouche, the first mixed martial
arts (MMA) fighter to come out gay, says she'd have no problem
fighting Fallon Fox, the sport's first openly transgender fighter.
Questions about her gender from a
reporter prompted Fox, 37, to come out transgender last week.
(Related: MMA
fighter Fallon Fox comes out transgender.)
In a statement provided to GLAAD,
Carmouche said she supports Fox.
“The MMA community – people who
work in the gyms, the trainers and sparring partners and the fans –
all openly embraced me as an athlete and I'm proud to see that also
happening with a transgender athlete,” Carmouche
wrote. “I actually met Fallon at a MMA show a few months ago.
She came up and introduced herself and said, 'Hey, I'm part of the
family…' so when I saw the reports about her over the last few days
I understood what she'd meant.”
“There may be, understandably, some
concerns that she will be stronger than other girls, but our sport is
regulated by State Athletic Commissions who are extremely thorough in
terms of fighter safety and medical screening. If a world-regarded
respected body like the Nevada Athletic Commission licenses her as a
female competitor, and says she has no performance advantage, then
that should be good enough for everyone.”
“I understand she fights in a
regional organization right now but, if she makes it to the UFC, and
fights in the 135lbs female bantamweight division, I'd be happy to
fight her. But that's all hypothetical – what I can say for sure
is that I understand what it is to be a LGBT athlete in the spotlight
like she finds herself in right now and that I'm glad she's got the
support of the LBGT community behind her.”