Does a transgender female fighter fight in the UFC? Here is what you need to know 

As of today, no transgender female fighter has competed, or currently competes in the UFC. Fallon Fox was the first openly transgender female fighter to enter the MMA circuit. She did not fight in the UFC, but became the subject of controversy throughout the course of her career.

Fox holds a record of 5-1 in professional MMA, with her last fight against Tamikka Brents in 2014 causing uproar amongst the MMA community.

Fox famously defeated Brents and left her with a broken orbital bone. Given that her opponent was a woman and Fox was a transgender competing in the female division, she raised controversy amongst MMA fans.

UFC commentator and well-renowned MMA fan Joe Rogan reacted to all the controversy and brought it up on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE).

“She calls herself a woman but I tend to disagree. She used to be a man but now she has had, she’s a transgender … And she wants to be able to fight women in MMA. I say no f***ing way. I say if you had a di*k at one point in time, you also have all the bone structure that comes with having a dick. You have bigger hands, you have bigger shoulder joints. You’re a fucking man. That’s a man, OK?," Joe Rogan said in a 2018 episode of his podcast.

Watch Joe Rogan discuss the Fallon Fox controversy here:

As it pertains to the UFC, there are rules and regulations in place that govern transgender fighters. These rules appear to be sternly upheld, as no transgender fighters have appeared under the promotion's banner to date.

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Alana McLaughlin becomes the second transgender female fighter to compete in MMA

Following Fallon Fox, Alana McLaughlin became the second transgender female fighter to compete in a sanctioned mixed martial arts bout. She made her debut in September 2021 under Brazilian promotion, Combate Global.

In her first time out, Alana defeated Celine Provost by submission via rear-naked choke. She was an openly transgender female fighter, and she competed in the female division.

This sparked some controversy amongst fans. Some fans were outraged and took to Twitter to express their concerns. One fan in particular posted a before-and-after picture of McLaughlin, alluding to just how important it is to establish strict rules to protect the integrity of the sport and the safety of the female fighters competing.