Ronda Rousey — the Olympic bronze medalist in judo turned Ultimate Fighting Championship star — improved her record to 12-0 with an amazing 30-second victory over Bethe Correia at UFC 190 Saturday night. Here’s the entire fight:
https://twitter.com/jcubillos3/status/627916022813749249
But not everyone is celebrating her victory. Social justice warriors are attacking Roussey for comments she made in the past about Fallon Fox, a trans woman MMA fighter, that they allege are transphobic.
First, a little background…
In 2013, Fox — who had competed in two professional MMA fights as a woman — came out as transgendered, setting off a controversy in the MMA world over whether or not an athlete who was born a man should be allowed to compete as a woman.
Fox, who has been competing as a woman since her announcement — including a brutal TKO over Tamikka Brents in 2014 that left Brents with a broken orbital bone, concussion and staples in her head — wants a shot at a fight with the undefeated Roussey.
Roussey, citing the fact that Fox was born a man, thinks Fox has an unfair advantage and doesn’t think Fox should be allowed to compete as a woman. From SB Nation in 2014:
UFC women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey spoke to the New York Post about transgender WMMA fighter Fallon Fox and the controversial comments that got Matt Mitrione suspended by the promotion.
“She can try hormones, chop her pecker off, but it’s still the same bone structure a man has,” Rousey told The Post. “It’s an advantage. I don’t think it’s fair.”
“I understand the UFC doesn’t want to be associated with views like (Mitrione’s),” Rousey said. “I’m also glad they didn’t straight cut him.”
Rousey told the post she had competed against hermaphroditic athletes in Judo and had no problems because “that was something they didn’t choose” but she feels Fox is in a different category because it’s a situation of her own making.
“It’s not something that happened to her,” Rousey said. “It was a decision she made. She should be aware in her career after that, it’s going to be an arduous path. I don’t know why she’s surprised by that. It’s going to draw a lot of emotions.”
Rousey would prefer not to fight Fox, but she would if the UFC insisted.
“What if she became UFC champion and we had a transgender women’s champion?” Rousey said. “It’s a very socially difficult situation.”
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And it’s these comments from 2014 about Fox that have the social justice warriors up in arms this week. Some examples of the hate:
When Role Models Become Problematic: @RondaRousey and Transmisogyny http://t.co/5LBg2A0Bgd #LGBTqia #MMA #UFC http://t.co/SDKgDygjKS
— The Mary Sue (@TheMarySue) August 3, 2015
Ronda Rousey is gross wow http://t.co/0AX3yhxFFr
— toxic thottery (@tacobellaswan) August 4, 2015
Ronda Rousey's transphobia and a take-down of arguments against trans athletes. http://t.co/k6GSWy2Vup
— buenos aries (@tranzanian) August 4, 2015
friendly reminder that Ronda Rousey has actually made some really horrible transphobic comments about fellow fighters http://t.co/Tvx7EvmUzV
— angelica (@ReinaDeLaIsla) August 4, 2015
https://twitter.com/basketkase_/status/628340089974861825
Ronda Rousey's transphobia is a pretty solid argument to stop hailing her as some kind of hero. http://t.co/1VU23oR4fy (via @hunktears)
— s.e. smith (@sesmith) August 3, 2015
https://twitter.com/fieds69/status/628063457838018560
I continue to be profoundly disappointed in people who say they're trans allies and praise Ronda Rousey.
— micr0dikdik.nfo (@h4nnarchy) August 2, 2015
Others who steer clear of @RondaRousey: Trans people. B/c she's a horrendous bigot. See @ParkerMolloy's recent tweets. //@GailSimone
— eiridescent (@eiridescent) August 2, 2015
https://twitter.com/RedPillTweets/status/627732895747039232
Really disappointed to see a who's who of supposed LGBT ally's on Twitter cheering on Ronda Rousey. Please read: http://t.co/ZP1CJ5SHOy
— Julie Rei Goldstein (@JulieRei) August 2, 2015
https://twitter.com/MisterJHW/status/626562377396285442
@RondaRousey is my hero tho i would like 2 talk to her on her views on transgender individuals Never gonna happen but a boy can dream #trans
— Axton Mitchell (@Axton_FtMitch) August 4, 2015
Note: Roussey fights for the UFC and the UFC won’t licence Fox to fight in the woman’s division, which has Fox furious.
Roussey has since reiterated that if the UFC licences Fox as a woman, she’ll fight Fox:
@TheMarySue she did clarify what she meant in a later Huffington Post interview.http://t.co/ZAUTP962NI
— Andy W (@Arcanity23) August 3, 2015
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