Sherdog.com’s 2013 Story of the Year

---

4. Fallon Fox

The MMA community would likely not be the first place one might look when broaching the topic of transgender rights, but it is nevertheless a place where the issue was found in 2013. Fallon Fox, a male-to-female transgender athlete, inspired debate and, in some cases, hatred by competing as a woman under Florida’s Championship Fighting Alliance banner.

Fox’s history was revealed just after her March 2 victory in the CFA featherweight tournament quarterfinals. The fighter underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2006 and supplemented the procedure with years of hormone therapy. Shortly after news broke of her status as a transgender athlete, Fox issued a statement on her Facebook page to address those who felt she may hold a competitive advantage.

“I’d like the world to know that I deserve the right to compete in women’s MMA,” Fox wrote. “I have trained hard for this, sacrificed relationships, invested money to attempt to accomplish my goal of being the best female MMA fighter I can be. I am a woman -- a woman who happens to fall into the category of postoperative transsexual. Just like there are black women, lesbian women, disabled women, and other types of women, there are trans women. We are just another type in the category of women. There is a misconception out there that postoperative transsexual women have an automatic advantage over women born with complete female anatomy. This is simply not true. The general public needs to be aware of this and we are hoping to shed light on this misconception.”

Some came out in support of Fox’s right to compete. Others respectfully expressed concerns over the fighter receiving a license in Florida. Still others, like UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione, took a different stance, calling Fox a “lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak.” The UFC quickly suspended and then fined Mitrione, who later allegedly apologized to the organization behind closed doors.

The debate over Fox’s potential advantages generally ended after Ashlee Evans-Smith stopped the 38-year-old in October’s CFA tournament final. Nevertheless, Fox’s decision to compete forced many MMA fans to, at the very least, talk about a transgender competitor’s place in the arena of combat sports, resulting in one of the most hotly debated discussions of 2013.

Number Five » Alvarez vs. Bellator