Matt Mitrione Suspended for Transphobic Comments

[keithlewis]

The Ultimate Fighting Championship organization released the following statement this afternoon:

“The UFC was appalled by the transphobic comments made by heavyweight Matt Mitrione today in an interview on the 'MMA Hour.'

“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 LGBT community, and expects and requires all 450 of its athletes to treat others with dignity and respect."



Here is some of what Mitrione had to say to MMAFighting.com on the MMA Hour:

"Because she's not a he. He's a he," he said. "He's chromosomally a man. He had a gender change, not a sex change. He's still a man. He was a man for 31 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," he continued. "And I mean that. Because you lied on your license to beat up women. That's disgusting. You should be embarrassed yourself. And the fact that Florida licensed him because California licensed him or whoever the hell did it, it's an embarrassment to us as fighters, as a sport, and we all should protest that. 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."

It was then mentioned by Helwani that Mitrione, who is usually a light-hearted jokester, had just "taken a turn to serious town," but Mitrione insisted it was for good reason.

"I'm glad I could make fun of him a little bit because he's obviously got some mental issues and wants to beat up on women," he said.

For all of the comments - http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/8/419 ... ox-as-sick

[broncofan]

Sorry but he/she fighting women is wrong in my opinion but if opponents sign the contract then it is their choice. Meathead probably could have been a little more PC with his answers.

[keithlewis]

Fox responded to Mitrione’s comments via her facebook page on Tuesday.

“Matt Mitrione went well beyond disagreeing with the medical experts who say I should be able to compete as a woman, and personally attacked me as a fighter, as a woman, and as a human being,” she wrote. “His comments do not reflect the spirit of our sport, where most competitors uphold values like respect and dignity.”

[keithlewis]

Ronda Rousey on Transgendered MMA Fighter Fallon Fox: ‘She Can Chop her Pecker Off, She’s Still a Man.’

“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."