UFC Stars Take Aim At Controversial Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas
Several prominent MMA figures have spoken out against, Lia Thomas, who last week became the first known transgender person to win the highest US national college title with a victory in the women’s 500-yard freestyle.
Thomas was born a male before transitioning to become female in 2019. Since then, she has enjoyed a very successful college career competing against cisgender women in swimming, something a lot of people think is unfair.
UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, made his view on the situation clear when reposting a clip from a South Park episode that mocks trans women in sports.
The former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder Ben Askren also voiced his concern about Thomas competing against women. Askren, who wrestled for the University of Missouri, insists that biological males who transition to female should not be allowed to compete against cisgender women.
“If you think Biological males should compete in female division then you don’t understand sports! If you wanna be a girl I don’t really care, but you don’t get to compete against them just bc you feel like it,” Askren wrote on social media.
Jorge Masvidal is someone who clearly feels strongly about anything to do with his children, just ask Colby Covington who is currently nursing a broken tooth after mentioning Masvidal’s kids in the build-up to their UFC 272 grudge match.
The BMF titleholder recently took to social media to ask if there are any fair sports left that don’t compel biological girls to compete against biological boys.
“What sport is left that is still biological girls vs biological girls? Want to put my daughter in a sport that is still fair to her,” Masvidal asked on Twitter.
In a February Q+A session on Rumble, Masvidal gave his thoughts on Thomas and whether transgender athletes should compete against the opposite of their birth gender.
“It’s such a no-brainer right?” Masvidal said. “It’s not fair. It’s just not. Men should compete against men. If you don’t want to compete against men, it’s not fair to go and compete against women… I’m not trying to diss girls but it’s just different you know. Girls should compete against girls.”
