Alana McLaughlin, a transgender MMA fighter won her debut on Friday night against Celine Provost.
Alana McLaughlin is the second transgender woman to fight in an MMA in the United States.
30-years-old Alana managed to choke Celine Provost with RNC (Rear Naked Choke) after 3 minutes and 32 seconds in the second round.
It was a pretty interesting fight at the start as Celine Provost did a very good job landing multiple shots before she was taken down by Alana.
As McLaughlin was declared the victor, she wore a t-shirt with the inscription “End Trans Genocide.”
McLaughlin is a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who began her gender transition in 2010 when she decided to leave the U.S. army.
As Alana said her reasons for leaving the army were her fighting dreams and the hope to be a transgender athlete pioneer in the United States and MMA in general.
“I want to pick up the mantle that Fallon put down,” – said Alana before the fight while referring to Fallon Fox who was the first trans athlete who began her MMA career in 2012.
“Right now, I’m following in Fallon’s footsteps. I’m just another step along the way and it’s my great hope that there are more to follow behind me.” – Alana added.
Fox retired from MMA in 2014 after many controversies and global non-acceptance of her in MMA. Her fight against Tamikka Brent where Fallon broke her skull was obviously too much for Fox to handle.
The second trans athlete in the United States was Patricio Manuel. He fought in a boxing match in 2018 and won via unanimous decision against Hugo Aguilar.
According to ESPN, McLaughlin was allowed to fight after being tested for testosterone hormones level by the Florida State Boxing Commission.
After the fight and her win, Alana said she has nothing but respect for her opponent:
“I have nothing but respect for Celine Provost,” – said Alana McLaughlin while stating that it was a nightmare for her to find an opponent.
“If we want to see more trans athletes, if we want to see more opportunities for trans kids, we’re going to have to work out way into those spaces and make it happen,” McLaughlin told Outsports. “It’s time for trans folks to be in sports and be more normalized.”
Fallon Fox, Transgender MMA Fighter Who Broke The Skull of Her Opponent
