UFC women's champ Rousey weighs in on transgender fighter controversy

• By MARC RAIMONDI
• Posted: 4:12 PM, April 10, 2013   http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/the_main_event/ufc_women_champ_weighs_in_on_transgender_3x7mCaaXn27HVq1QtuO5lN#axzz2Q7MNpXEj

Ronda Rousey doesn’t necessarily disagree with fellow UFC fighter Matt Mitrione’s comments about transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, but she doesn’t believe he chose the right words.
Rousey, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, said she would fight Fox if the UFC asked her to, but she believes that Fox “has a physical advantage” because she was born a man.
Rousey says she’s researched the topic extensively and has come to an informed opinion.
“She can try hormones, chop her pecker off, but it’s still the same bone structure a man has,” Rousey told The Post. “It’s an advantage. I don’t think it’s fair.”
Mitrione was suspended by the UFC on Monday for an interview on MMAFighting.com’s “The MMA Hour” in which he called Fox a “lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak.”
"And I mean that,” Mitrione said. “Because you lied on your license to beat up women. That's disgusting. You should be embarrassed yourself. And the fact that Florida licensed him because California licensed him or whoever the hell did it, it's an embarrassment to us as fighters, as a sport, and we all should protest that. The woman that's fighting him, props to you. I hope you beat his ass, and I hope he gets blackballed and never fights again, because that's disgusting and I'm appalled by that."
Fox, who competes for small Championship Fighting Alliance, underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2006 and has had hormone therapy to assist the transition from male to female. She is 2-0 as a professional and has been in the news lately because her license was being reviewed by the Florida State Boxing Commission to determine whether or not she’ll be able to continue in CFA’s women’s tournament.
Fox did not disclose that she was a transgender athlete to the commission or her opponents before fighting them. She was eventually cleared and will be able to fight.
Rousey said Mitrione worded his views “extremely poorly” and believes the UFC was justified in suspending the heavyweight fighter. But she thinks his sentiments came from the right place. In Rousey's opinion, Mitrione believes Fox is still a man, who wants to beat up women for a living.
“I understand the UFC doesn’t want to be associated with views like that,” Rousey said. “I’m also glad they didn’t straight cut him.”
Fox’s hormone levels legally make her a female and she would be allowed to compete in other sports as such. But this is the first known time a transgender fighter has attempted to fight in MMA.
There’s clearly a vast gray area and plenty of opinions. Rousey feels like Fox should understand the ramifications of what she is trying to do.
“It’s not something that happened to her,” Rousey said. “It was a decision she made. She should be aware in her career after that, it’s going to be an arduous path. I don’t know why she’s surprised by that. It’s going to draw a lot of emotions.”
Rousey says she has competed in judo against hermaphroditic athletes and she had no problem with that, because “that was something they didn’t choose.” She would not want to fight Fox, but if the UFC said she had to, she definitely would.
“What if she became UFC champion and we had a transgender women’s champion?” Rousey said. “It’s a very socially difficult situation.”