"Fighting a girl just doesn't seem right" - Brendan Schaub speaks about transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin
Brendan Schaub recently gave his opinion on transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin on the Below The Belt podcast. McLaughlin has been in the headlines due to the backlash she received from many MMA fans and fighters.
"Let's say this jacked dude on the left always felt like a woman and wants to transition but then you can't just say someone can't compete at what they wanna do. But clearly the bone structure and the muscle is different than any girl that she's gonna compete against. She was formerly a man, the only way it would make sense and be fair is if she fought another man who transitioned to female. Fighting a girl just doesn't seem right, there's so many advantages. They should be allowed to compete but it should be against other people that transitioned," Brendan Schaub said.
Alana McLaughlin won her debut fight in professional women's MMA at Combate Global against Celine Provost on September 10 in Miami, Florida. The 38-year-old is the only openly transgender female fighter to have participated in a professional MMA fight in over seven years.
Watch Brendan Schaub speak about Alana McLaughlin below:
Many MMA fans and fighters have criticized Alana McLaughlin. They strongly believe that bodies that went through puberty as biological males should not be allowed to compete in women's sports.
UFC fighters give their opinion on transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin
Many big names in the MMA industry have strongly disapproved of transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin's MMA debut at Combate Global.
UFC middleweight fighter Sean Strickland called her a "coward." Former UFC star Ronda Rousey previously gave her opinion on the first openly transwoman MMA fighter Fallon Fox. Ronda believes transwomen fighters have an unfair advantage in an MMA bout.
Former UFC welterweight fighter Jake Shields has suggested that all athletic commissions and promotions refrain from allowing transwomen to compete in women's MMA bouts. Sean O'Malley also thinks McLaughlin enjoys an unfair advantage over other female fighters. He also believes she benefited from having higher levels of testosterone before transitioning.