Michael Bisping on Alana McLaughlin: “Shouldn’t Be Allowed” to Fight
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has weighed in on transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin following her MMA debut win in Combate Global over the weekend. While Bisping says he supports transgender rights, he thinks it shouldn’t pertain to the full-throttle nature of cage fighting.
Bisping has become one of the most prominent voices in MMA today, following his retirement after losing to Kelvin Gastelum. He recently signed a brand-new multi-year contract extension as a UFC analyst with ESPN, along with diving into the podcasting world.
During a recent episode of his Believe You Me podcast, Bisping gave his two cents regarding transgender fighters in professional MMA amidst McLaughlin’s dominant start to her career.
“I’m not here to talk about transgender rights, you can identify as whatever you want,” Bisping said. “But I do believe that if you’re a woman that feels trapped in a man’s body, there are certain advantages that you should have to give up. If you have the body of a man, competing against girls or women, when you’re using your body to beat someone unconscious, has to be one of those things you sacrifice.”
“If you want to play volleyball, soccer, be my guest. But in a sport that you beat someone into submission or unconsciousness, it shouldn’t be allowed. It’s unfair to women’s MMA.”
McLaughlin has come under fire after winning her debut in Combate Global after images surfaced of her looking jacked before transitioning to a woman. Bisping and others have expressed concern regarding the integrity of allowing McLaughlin and others to compete, despite still being in favor of transgender rights.
Bisping continues to be one of the most prominent voices in MMA today, especially on controversial issues such as those regarding transgender athletes. It’ll be interesting to see how this topic evolves moving forward.
What are your thoughts on Michael Bisping’s comments regarding transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin?
