A transgender Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter transitioning from male to female became the first transgender fighter competing as a woman to beat a biological male, Saturday night.
MMA fighter Anne Veriato recently transitioned from male to female but indicated he wanted to compete against other biological males because he didn’t want to continue facing accusations that he had an unfair advantage by competing against biologically female fighters. “It’s only fair to fight men,” Veriato told International MMA News after he took first place in the match in Manaus, Brazil. “It never crossed my mind to fight a woman because I think I’m too good.”
“I only know that I’m good after I beat men. That’s what makes me happy and hungrier to train. I don’t think it’s fair to fight women,” he added.
Veriato trained harder than he ever had before to make up for his hormonal therapy to become more feminine, he said, noting he didn’t have the same strength in the gym as he’d previously had.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has no official rules or regulations on testosterone level requirements for competition. The World Fighting Championships (WFC) also has no official policies regarding transgender fighters.
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His announcement and sequential match comes after transgender fighter Fallon Fox completed against women for a number of years while failing to disclose that he had undergone gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy in 2006.
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At Trinity High School in Texas, senior Mack Beggs won the state title for the girls’ Class 6A 110-pound division. Beggs won this title for the second consecutive year in late February, sparking concern among parents and competitors over the competition’s fairness. (RELATED: Testosterone-Pumped Transgender Wrestler Wins State Title For Second Consecutive Year)
Beggs is biologically female and started taking hormones when she was 15 years old, prompting many to raise concerns since she was competing against female athletes not taking hormones, reported Fox6Now. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, USA Wrestling and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency rules classify Beggs as male because she exceeds the range of acceptable testosterone levels for females, according The Associated Press.
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