Fallon Fox reacts to fellow transgender fighter Alana McLaughlin's MMA debut

Alana McLaughlin's successful debut at Combate Global was praised by fellow transgender fighter Fallon Fox.

Fox, who was the first transgender fighter to compete in MMA, commended McLaughlin's performance on Twitter, saying:

"Aaaaaaaaand here with the winner of tonight's fight, by rear naked choke, @AlanaFeral !!! #Team Trans #Trans Athletes"

Aaaaaaaaand here with the winner of tonight’s fight, by rear naked choke, @AlanaFeral !!!#TeamTrans #TransAthletes pic.twitter.com/UPBlXyhLWJ

— Fallon Fox (@FallonFox) September 11, 2021

Alana McLaughlin, an openly transgender woman who made her debut on September 10, defeated Celine Provost. She is the first transgender woman to take part in an MMA bout in over seven years.

Fox, who is known to have broken one of her opponent's skulls, also uploaded a photo of the submission. Commending McLaughlin's technique, she said:

"Yo @AlanaFeral! This is a awesome photo of your submission #TeamTrans #TransAthletes #TransFighters"

Yo @AlanaFeral! This is a awesome photo of your submission! ❤️🏳️‍⚧️ #TeamTrans #TransAthletes #TransFighters pic.twitter.com/rhh4ZkpaaV

— Fallon Fox (@FallonFox) September 11, 2021

Alana McLaughlin's debut started on a rough note. Provost landed hard punches in the opening round and had McLaughlin visibly rocked. But McLaughlin bounced back in the second round and secured a submission victory via a rear-naked choke.

Fallon Fox, meanwhile, had a fairly short but dominant career, which ended with a 5-1 record. Not unlike Alana McLaughlin, she endured heavy criticism throughout her MMA career.

Ice cream with my favorite MMA fighter @AlanaFeral! #TransAthletes #TransFighters pic.twitter.com/8DBIOSaqtS

— Fallon Fox (@FallonFox) September 11, 2021

UFC commentator Joe Rogan opposed the decision to grant Fallon Fox with a license to fight. During an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, he said:

"First of all, she's not really a she. She's a transgender, post-op person. The operation doesn't shave down your bone density. It doesn't change. You look at a man's hands and you look at a woman's hands and they're built different. They're just thicker, they're stronger, your wrists are thicker, your elbows are thicker, your joints are thicker. Just the mechanical function of punching, a man can do it much harder than a woman can, period."

Watch Joe Rogan's take on Fallon Fox below:

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Alana McLaughlin was criticized for fighting in women's MMA after her debut

Alana McLaughlin was criticized by many in the MMA community after her debut. UFC middleweight Sean Strickland asserted that McLaughlin should not be fighting in women's MMA, calling her a 'coward'. Via an Instagram story, he said:

"Change your name, call yourself a woman... but you're still a fu****g man, get out of women's MMA, coward. This is why the athletic commission is useless."

Screenshot of Strickland's Instagram story

A Twitter page called 'Women's Voices' also suggested the fthat Alana McLaughlin's fight in women's MMA was ethically wrong. They termed it "male violence against women."

Trans-identified Alana McLaughlin is a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces - seen here winning an MMA match against Céline Provost.Gender identity ideology not only allows male violence against women, but celebrates it as progressive.#NoThankYou #SexNotGender pic.twitter.com/dRUFTXH6rC

— Women's Voices (@WomenReadWomen) September 12, 2021