Is the UFC ready for an openly gay male fighter? |
The idea of an openly gay male fighter is an interesting one. With the recent media frenzy surrounding Michael Sam, who was recently drafted in the NFL, it has made me start thinking about the possibility of a gay male athlete in the UFC.
Marc Raimondi of FOX Sports recently dove into the issue and reached out to several prominent fighters who spoke their opinion as well:
Benavidez, one of the best 125-pound MMA fighters on the planet, doesn't think the UFC should be any different.
"It would be cool to see a gay guy just beat the s*** out of somebody," he told FOX Sports. "I think that would be that much cooler. Busting a stereotype."
"It's the same as any sport," UFC light heavyweight Phil Davis said of a male fighter coming out. "I don't see why not. I would not think any less of anyone that did so. It has nothing to do with their capabilities inside the cage."
UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, one of the most popular and beloved MMA fighters of all time, said it's irrelevant if a fighter is gay.
"If he's tough, who cares?" Liddell said. "If he's a fighter, he's a fighter. As long as he wins fights, it doesn't matter."
Added bantamweight contender T.J. Dillashaw: "It's the real world. People just need to accept it. ... There probably are [gay fighters in the UFC], they just haven't admitted it [publicly] yet."
Mike Brown agreed. The current UFC fighter, former WEC featherweight champion and coach at American Top Team in Florida said a gay male fighter should not be a problem in 2014. Brown believes the majority of fighters would be "fine with it."
"When you're a fighter, you have plenty to worry about already," Brown said. "You're in the cage with someone trying to take your head off. We don't really sweat the small stuff."
