Why Are The Big MMA Circuits Ignoring Fallon Fox?

One of the cool things to watch over the past year has been the rise of Fallon Fox in the women's MMA ranks.  

While some peeps have been transphobically hating on her like Ronda Rousey, Tamikka Brents, Charmaine Tweet and Matt Mitrione, others have been supportive like Liz Carmouche.

When she came out as trans last year, it appears that the many of the promoters of the larger MMA circuits like  UFC, Bellator, Invicta and World Series of Fighting smugly assumed that at age 37, Fox didn't have the skills to compete at that level or she'd fight a few times, then retire.

After the upset loss to Ashlee Evans-Smith saddled Fox with a 3-1 record, they were probably feeling quite secure in that assessment.

But since that loss, Fox has reeled off two  impressive wins to bump her record to 5-1, with the most recent one (and most satisfying so far to me) being a microwaved demolition of signed InvictFC fighter Tamikka Brents.

As Fallon continues to win, it's fairly obvious that Ms. Fox has skills and is definitely head and shoulders above WMMA regional ranks littered with female fighters with .500 records or less.

So why hasn't one of the Big Four MMA orgs signed her?   Because they are in a seriously awkward spot at this point and don't know what to do about it.  

And if you're trying to prove that WMMA is a credible sport, sooner or later the female fighters that are ducking her will have to fight her to enhance their own credibility and visibility to the Big Four MMA organizations..

The Big Four MMA orgs will feel the pressure to sign her increase, especially from the LGBT community as it becomes obvious that Fox is one of the best fighters out there and she is being
denied an opportunity to pursue it at the highest levels because of transphobia.

It's also hypocritical that you have a WMMA fighter in Jessica Rakoczy with a 1-4 record signed in the UFC and Fox has yet to get a call from the Big Four MMA orgs despite her demonstrated abilities.

If the trans and SGL community comes to the ossifying impression that Fox is being denied a place in their organizations because she's a transgender female, that's scrutiny the MMA will rue the day they invited upon themselves   It will cause GLBT advocacy organizations to review the previous grossly  transphobic comments aimed at Fox and the negative history that the sport has in general with the LGBT community.

So what are you going to do UFC, Bellator, Invicta and World Series of Fighting?   The ball is clearly in your court.   You can either sign a talented fighter, or by your inaction and stonewalling, invite more scrutiny upon you that you're not doing so because of transphobia

Fallon Has A New Fight-With Wannabee 'Advocate' Tamikka Brents

Our fave MMA warrior is now in training for her next fight with 24 year old Tamikka Brents

Y'all know I have much love for Fallon Fox and I'm looking forward to meeting her in person.  I wish the 'Queen of Swords' the best of luck as she gets ready to handle her business inside the octagon on September 13 in Springfield, IL.

And Fallon's probably got some extra motivation to be on her A+ WMMA game with this upcoming opponent after Tamikka Brents flapped her gums and let loose some dog whistle transphobia back on May 25, 2013. 

“I am tired of Fox getting all this publicity just for being a transgender fighter rather than having great skills. I think it’s unfair anyway but as long as the opponent knows and accepts the fight then go ahead… I mean Allana took her to the third and she’s not even a 145er; she’s a more of a 135er who can probably go even lower to 125 pounds. She’s using all that attention as a good publicity tactic – go ahead and ride that free publicity train as long as you can. I’ll gladly derail that s#*t quickly so the world can go back to giving the publicity and notice to the female fighters who earn it. It just pisses me off that Women’s MMA has fought to get away from being seen as a side show. She’s using that to further her career while setting Women’s MMA back in the process.”

And this from a woman who claims in a November 2012 Bleacher Report piece she wants to be an LGBT advocate.   Well, she said she wanted this fight with Fallon bad, and she's about to get her wish. 

But let me focus on Tamikka Brents' advocacy, or lack thereof.   The only thing you've done is take a rainbow flag a few hundred feet into an octagon twice.   I haven't seen op-eds written by you in TIME magazine, the TransAdvocate, or much less my GLAAD Award nominated blog   I have yet to see you at an National Black Justice Coalition event or do anything in support of the SGL, trans or bi  community.

While you bump your gums in a puff piece about wanting to be an advocate for the LGBT community, Fallon Fox is role modeling it. 

So stop hatin'.

And here's your first advocacy lesson, Tamikka.  The 'T' in LGBT stands for transgender.  Without transfolks like Ms. Fox showing up and showing out at Stonewall in 1969 fighting for everyone's human rights including our own, you wouldn't have a movement to consider being an advocate for.

And what pisses me off Tamikka is you piling on Fallon.   She's handled this lemon situation of being outed and the subsequent microaggressive and macroagressive publicity it generated with class and dignity while trying to build her reputation in women's MMA.  

She has remained classy as you and several of your women's MMA colleagues like Ronda Rousey, Ashlee Evans-Smith and Allana Jones have been transphobically shady towards her while spouting jaw dropping anti-trans ignorance.

So yeah, looking forward to September 13.   

Congrats Queen Of Swords!

Our #girllikeus WMMA warrior handled her business last Friday night during her bout against the previously unbeaten Heather Bassett at UIC Arena in Chicago. 

Fallon won by submission 40 seconds into the second round of her match.  

 The Queen of Swords is now 4-1, and when I find some video of the match I'll put it on this post. 

But Congrats Fallon!  Looking forward to your next match.

Adam Hunter, Chill With The Unfunny, Transmisogynistic Jokes

In the nearly a year since Fallon Fox came out as our #girllikeus in the women's MMA ranks, in addition to the love and appreciation she gets from us in Trans World and our allies, the 'Queen of Swords' has also had to endure a lot of bull feces, ignorant comments, incorrect pseudoscientific rants from people without MD behind their names, and straight up transphobia.

But the latest transphobic attack on Fallon comes wrapped in the Trojan Horse of humor from comedian Adam Hunter.   While he also flings misogynistic and sexist comments at WMMA fighters Ronda Rousey (who said some transphobic crap about Fallon a few months ago), Miesha Tate, and Kim Winslow, he has through his MMA Roasted Twitter handle (which I'm not linking to) also thrown shade at Khloe Kardashian (who is 5'10" vis a vis her petite sisters Kim and Kourtney) and Dog the Bounty Hunter's wife Beth.

But it's Fallon that he has aimed most of his low brow unfunny humor at.   It's one thing to be humorous, and transpeople do have senses of humor.   I enjoy a good joke just like anyone else and one of my fave places to go is the Laff Stop here in H-town, any comedy club or see comedians who are on their game like a Sinbad, Kim Coles, George Lopez and countless others I can name who can make you laugh without offending you.   

But comedians walk a fine line between humor and being straight up offensive, bigoted and hurtful, and when they cross that line we've got to call them out on it.  

When it comes to Fallon Fox, Adam Hunter has long since jumped over that comedic red line.

But it's not just me saying that.  The person who the transmisogynist jokes are being aimed at has also commented on it.:

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The twitter comments made by MMA Roasted are extremely disgusting. I understand comedy. I really do. And I can take a joke. But, there comes a time when a joke goes too far. Example: Imagine what would happen if MMA Roasted decided to continually make jokes about another aspect of any other fighter that falls within a minority category. Imagine if he repeatedly made derogatory jokes about a black fighter, slamming her or him for being black.

He made this horrible transphobic joke, “I still don’t understand why Big Foot Silva has a tattoo of Fallon Fox’s foot on his back.” I suppose this is supposed to be a crack at me having large feet? (Which I do not.) This is similar to making a joke about the stereotype of black people having large noses. Does anyone reading this think that he would get away with a racial joke like that? And not only making a joke one time, but continuously.

He also said “The New Fallon Fox Action Figure Comes with a Detachable Penis.”  And he took no thought into how that would affect me or the trans community. His jokes in relation to me are transphobic. I don’t believe he understands exactly what he has done or how what he has said incites unnecessary hate and misunderstanding about trans people.

Like I said before. I understand comedy. But, there is a line! Michael Richards found that out years ago. And if this continues, some of them are going to find themselves in the same boat.

Some people may find those degrading and hateful jokes funny.  But those people have a transphobic mindset also. Outside of MMA, the conversation is changing on trans athletes. People are starting to wake up a little bit on this issue. Unfortunately, some in MMA are not paying attention to that. And that will likely bite them in the end. Some of the MMA commentators, comedians, and athletes are really giving MMA a bad name. Their misogynistic, transphobic mindset and language will not be accepted outside of the MMA sphere. And even inside of MMA, people are starting to be uncomfortable with their language and treatment of every type of woman.

This has got to end. It hurts us all. It hurts trans athletes, it hurts cisgender athletes, it hurts the sport of MMA as a whole. If MMA wants to grow, the culture must change just a little bit, or it is going to have bigger problems within greater society. It seems to me that the MMA culture within the United States has gone off the deep end in some areas. Why is that? What is the reasoning behind the hatred many have in our sport for people who are feminine? I’m not just talking about myself. I’m also talking about some of the sexist comments some tend to rattle off about other female fighters. Why all of the blatant misogyny?

What is going on here is obvious. Much like the editors of the “Dr. V’s Magical Putter” story, MMA Roasted is unfortunately negatively exploiting the status of a trans person for notoriety.

Because trans people are looked at as oddities by some in our American society, he uses this particular trans woman as a focal point to unload the ignorance, intolerance, and bigotry that is apparently in his heart to help make a buck. This tactic is very shortsighted and unnecessary. There is an easy way around not making a mistake like this. Simply not make the joke. This is not good for business in the end.

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If Adam Hunter was funny, he'd be able to make you laugh without the misogyny, sexism and transphobia that contaminates his act.  But tragically, he's not and probably doesn't care as long as they are handing him a check for it.    

 
The Fallon Fox jokes aren't funny Adam and are dripping with transphobic stereotypes.   You need Trans 101 and a new comedy writer.  If you wrote those problematic 'jokes' yourself, it's past time to find a new source of material.         

Fallon's Fighting In Chicago Soon!

In case you're wondering what the heck our MMA fighting sister is up to, she's been busy training for an upcoming fight in Chicago.

The 'Queen of Swords' is busy getting back in shape and honing her skills for an upcoming March 21 bout in the Windy City against 1-0 Heather Bassett 

The bout will be part of XFO 50, set to take place Friday, March 21, at the UIC Pavilion at 525 S. Racine Ave.for thosee of you in the Chicago metro area who want to attend the fight.  It's being billed as the "Biggest Night in XFO History" and the action starts at 6 PM CST.

And Fallon is excited to be a part of it. 

"I am so incredibly excited [to get] back in the cage, especially since this will be XFO MMA's 10th anniversary show," Fox said in a Windy City Times interview. "There's going to be lots of great fights on this card, including many of my teammates from the Chicagoland area fighting also, or cheering me on."

"This time I'll have the luxury of having my hometown fans and teammates behind me," said Fox, who added that she wants a strong LGBT fan base at the fight. "XFO MMA is an LGBT-friendly organization. I've been to many of their fights and always come away from them pleased, so this should be a good event for everyone who shows [up]."

If you live in the area, please consider doing exactly that.  

Fallon Fox Fights For A CFA Title Tonight!

It's been a long hard and at times bumpy road for her to get to this point, but later tonight at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, FL unbeaten Fallon Fox (3-0) will take on Ashlee Evans-Smith (1-0)  for the CFA featherweight title.

This championship match will be broadcast on AXS-TV and the winner will not only claim the championship of the CFA tourney but take home $20,000.

If AXS-TV posts the video of it to YouTube, I'll get it up on the blog as quickly as possible.

Y'all know I'm rooting for the 'Queen of Swords' in this one and I hope she emerges from this WMMA battle victorious.  

best of luck tonight, Fallon!

'Game Face' Documentary

While catching up on all the backlogged messages I had on Facebook because of Computer Prime being in the shop, was excited to see I had one from Fallon Fox. 

She not only thanked me for my unwavering support of her back when she was getting all that Hateraid for coming out as a trans WMMA athlete, but sent me a link to a still in production documentary featuring her entitled Game Face that also has another of my fave people in Kye Allums in it.

Game Face tells the coming out stories of TBLG athletes before and after doing so and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished work when it comes out (pun intended).

Good luck 'Queen of Swords' in your upcoming October 12 CFA featherweight championship bout against Ashlee Evans-Smith and know I and your trans family will always be in your corner.

I'm also looking forward to meeting you in the near future.  

Here's the Game Face trailer featuring Fallon

Fallon Fox Going For The CFA Featherweight Title October 12

We now know the date that Fallon Fox will be back in MMA action and taking on Ashlee Evans-Smith for the Championship Fighting Alliance featherweight tournament title.

That championship bout for our fave MMA girl like us is scheduled to take place October 12 in Coral Gables, FL.  It'll be the first bout for the 3-0 Queen of Swords since she beat Allanah Jones by submission in a semifinal match back in May. 

The winner of this October 12 bout not only gets the title, but the $20,000 grand prize that comes with it. Of course you know who I'm rooting for to win that fight. 

Go Queen of Swords!

And yeah, I expect the transphobic haters to make their appearance as the fight date with the 1-0 Evans-Smith gets closer. 

Hopefully for Fallon's sake there won't be as much drama and distractions in WMMA World and elsewhere surrounding this fight as there were in the runup to the last one.  I know she's in the gym working hard, focusing on her training and trying to get as close to being razor sharp as possible for this CFA featherweight championship bout.

Best of luck, Fallon and hope you walk out of the ring a champion and with a nice check in hand!

Fallon Fox Wins Semifinal Bout Vs. Allanna Jones!

If Allanna Jones thought she was getting into Fallon Fox's head and playing to the crowd by entering the ring in Miami to Aerosmith's tired song 'Dude Looks Like A Lady' that is the transphobe's national anthem, she failed.   

It was Fox's first fight since coming out as trans and it took her a little more time in this bout to get the win because Jones fought a defensive fight. 

Jones kept trying to move and back away from her to avoid Fox's punches and wait for opportunities to counterattack.   But the Queen of Swords handled her business and is still an undefeated 3-0 after getting a submission win via a shin choke hold at 3:36 of the third round on now 2-2 Allanna Jones.

Of course, haters gonna hate.   There were boos in the BankUnited Center when the decision was announced but Fox still walked out of the arena victorious and having a shot at a $20,000 grand prize.  





Fox goes on to the final of the CFA11 tournament to take on Ashlee Evans-Smith who received a bye into the final when her opponent Anna Barone withdrew prior to the weigh in.

Date hasn't been set yet for that CFA11 tournament championship bout, but one thing that will probably be a given before it happens is that the haters will now switch to rooting for Ashlee Evans-Smith

Congrats Fallon!   Keep on kicking butt, taking names and winning despite the haters.     

Good Luck Fallon!

Fallon Fox puts her undefeated 2-0 record on the line when she steps into the Octagon later tonight for a nationally televised bout from Miami with 2-1 Allanna Jones on AXS-TV.

To her and Jones, it's just another ordinary bout in the 145 pound category.  The winner will advance to the final of the Championship Fighting Alliance 11 tournament and have a shot at earning a $20,000 grand prize.  But to the trans community, it's our first opportunity to support a girl like us in MMA world since she came out in March and by default became an ambassador for trans athletes.

So nope, it's not just an ordinary bout no matter how much both competitors wish to downplay it.   People are taking sides and have been ever since she came out.   There are folks in the trans community who want the Queen of Swords to win just as badly as the transphobic haters are rooting for Jones to do the same.

Personally, I have a major problem with the transphobic ignorance and vitriolic hatred that has been aimed at her.  But none of us are going to be in the cage slugging it out later tonight.  Fox and Jones are. 

Good luck tonight, Fallon!
  

Fallon's Historic Friday MMA Fight

Fallon Fox will return to mixed martial arts action on Friday and make a little MMA history in the process when she does so. 

When the undefeated (2-0) Fox steps into the Octagon at the BankUnited Center on the University of Miami campus against Allana Jones she will be participating in the first nationally televised bout (AXS-TV) of the Championship Fighting Alliance Series.

It's the first bout she's participated in since the revelation in March the undefeated Fox is a girl like us and the transphobically ignorant reactions to the news it triggered in MMA world that included UFC women's champ Ronda Rousey.

CFA president Jorge de la Noval featured the 37 year old Fox on a card in March before finding out she was trans when he got a call from the commission.  He stands by his decision to feature her on Friday night’s card and supports her 100 percent.

“I’ve been discriminated many times because I’m Hispanic,” de la Noval said to the Miami Herald. “People have been discriminated through the years because of color, sexual preference, and that’s something I’m completely against. As long as she’s got her license, and doctors approved her to fight as a female, I was fine with it. I’ve gotten a lot of calls, mostly negative, but I stick with my decision no matter what the outcome is.

I’m just glad she’s fighting for the CFA this Friday.”

So are we in the trans community, Jorge.

Best of luck Fallon on Friday night.  Your best revenge for all the drama you've been through since March is to just keep winning.   You have an ever growing legion of fans inside and outside the trans community that wish you nothing but success.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3409426/transgender-mma-fighter-fallon.html#storylink=cpy

Transphobic Bigot Eruption Earns UFC Fighter A Suspension

UFC heavyweight boxer Matt Mitrione ended a two match losing streak by knocking out in 19 seconds Philip De Fries in their bout in Sweden Saturday night to push his record to 6-2.

He went on the MMA Today show and got knocked out yesterday by his own big mouth. 

Mitrione has been suspended and is under investigation for launching into a vicious transphobic tirade near the end of his interview on MMA Today with Ariel Helwani aimed at Fallon Fox.. 

"She's not a he. He's a he. He's chromosomally a man. He had a gender change, not a sex change. He's still a man. He was a man for thirty-one years. Thirty-one years! That's a couple years younger than I am. He's a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing drugs, you think is going to change all that? That's ridiculous…. That is a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak."

Matt, I don't see MD behind you name, so how the hell would you know what Fallon Fox's chromosomes are unless you ran the tests?   And BTW, hormone replacement therapy sure does work those kind of wonders on our bodies in less time than you think.  The science and medical evidence back that up and are on Fox's side.  

But Mitrione kept going with the tirade that would have made the womyn at certain TERF hate websites proud.

"It's an embarrassment to us as fighters, as a sport, and we all should protest that," he said in his interview. "The woman that's fighting him, props to you. I hope you beat his ass, and I hope he gets blackballed and never fights again because that's disgusting and I'm appalled by that." 

The UFC is appalled and embarrassed by your nekulturny behavior and is about to call your azz on it. 

Back in January the UFC announced a code of conduct for its fighters under contract to it which they indicated in a statement they released  that Mitrione was in significant breach of

"The UFC was appalled by the transphobic comments made by heavyweight Matt Mitrione today in an interview on 'The MMA Hour,'" the statement read.  The organization finds Mr. Mitrione's comments offensive and wholly unacceptable and – as a direct result of this significant breach of the UFC's code of conduct – Mr. Mitrione's UFC contract has been suspended and the incident is being investigated. The UFC is a friend and ally of the (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community, and expects and requires all 450 of its athletes to treat others with dignity and respect."

The MMA fans may not like it and are whining about 'free speech' in the comment threads along with their transphobic science-deficient commentary.   But free speech comes with consequences, especially if you have a UFC contract with a Code of Conduct in it and you let your transphobic bigotry run wild during a televised interview. 

While you're on suspension Matt, may I suggest you actually do some reading (if you're capable of doing that) on how HRT works and what the International Olympic Committee and other international sporting organizations who allow trans people to compete have to say about it.

Fallon's Florida Boxing License Is Valid!

 

Fallon 1-Haters 0  

Glad to hear the the Florida Boxing Commission didn't wait until Friday to resole the matter either.  

Still goes back to what I said in the earlier post.   If Fallon Fox were 0-5, these cis women wouldn't be tripping.  But since Fallon is a girl like us is undefeated, rkicking azz and taking names, everybody wants to hate on her.  

Good luck in your next bout, Fallon.



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