Mixed martial arts star Sean O’Malley sounded off on transgender, biologically male fighter Alana McLaughlin and said “that’s a dude” after the former U.S. Army Special Forces medical sergeant recently won in the ring against a biological woman.
“I don’t think that’s OK,” O’Malley shared during his YouTube channel. ” The comments were noted by LowKickMMA.com in a piece published Thursday. (RELATED: Biological Male, Former Special Forces Soldier Beats Woman In Debut MMA Fight)
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“I just don’t think that’s OK,” he added. “In just competing in sports, I mean, especially mixed. It’s like she had testosterone for, who knows, 20 to 30 years of her life and now I’m a girl.” (RELATED: New Zealand Weightlifter Will Be First Openly Transgender Athlete To Participate In Olympics)
“You could tell that’s a dude,” O’Malley continued. “A jacked girl. I mean, look at those arms.”
McLaughlin won an MMA debut fight against Celine Provost in the second round. The fight ended 3 minutes and 32 seconds into the second round after McLaughlin used a rear-choke against Provost, forcing her to tap out, ESPN noted.
O’Malley wasn’t the only one questioning the fairness of allowing someone who was born a male to compete against a biological woman. UFC middleweight champion and commentator Michael Bisping said while he supports trans rights, he doesn’t think the same rules should apply when it comes to athletic competitions — especially in fighting, the outlet noted.