Mixed martial arts (MMA) events are definitely on the rise, and fight fans all around the world are starting to take notice.
In spite of having decades of a head start over MMA, boxing has failed to reach all people quite like MMA has.
The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community has often been ignored by the sport of boxing, although there is evidence suggesting that the very creators of the sport may have been LGBT.
In spite of changes early in the sport, such as the mandate for male fighters to remain topless in all professional competition, few strides have been made since to accommodate the needs of LGBT boxing fans around the world.
Faced with bigotry, gay boxers have been historically forced to remain in the closet while ironically practicing a sport created by members of the LGBT community.
Fortunately for these marginalized fighters, MMA has arrived and given the public what it craves. At many MMA events, many members of the LGBT community can be seen in the audience.
Although most MMA fighters usually don’t speak about their sexual preference, I was able to speak to a former MMA champion from one of the many fighting organizations. We will refer to him as “TD” because of his request to remain anonymous:
ZJ: People often speak of a rivalry between boxing and MMA. Would you like to comment on this?
TD: Well, as you know, I was champ back in the 90’s, and back then, MMA was quite small compared to boxing. I would say that there is no rivalry, just differences.
ZJ: Let’s get down to it. A few months ago, high profile boxers Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr. graphically and racially dismissed MMA in the following manner:
“Everybody is different. I don’t want to watch two grown men wrestling with panties on. I’m from the hood, we don’t play that. To me, I’m not buying a ticket to watch two grown men with panties on, sweating, nuts in their face. That’s not me. To compare that to boxing is ludicrous. It’s a porno. It’s an entertainment porno. I’m not wrestling a guy with panties on and his nuts in my face, and they call that a sport.”
Bernard Hopkins, quoted from www.boxingscene.com on October 15, 2009
“In boxing, we know who's dominating. Black fighters and Hispanic fighters is dominating in this sport,” Mayweather continued. “And this is not a racial statement, but there's no white fighters in boxing that's dominating, so they had to go to something else and start something new."
Floyd Mayweather Jr, quoted from the Las Vegas Sun on July 21, 2009
ZJ: What are your thoughts regarding these very incendiary comments?
TD: Well, I think those guys obviously have some serious personal complexes that they need to deal with. It’s not really about white guys not being able to make it in boxing. I mean, I’m a gay white fighter, and what turned me on to MMA was the grappling and the attire. It’s not that I couldn’t box. I mean, there’s nothing that turns me on more than to grapple with another man violently and try to force him into the position of my choice for full domination.
Even getting pinned down to the point of having to tap out is not so bad. It’s the beauty of the sport. It gets hot, it gets sweaty, and it gets bloody, just like those old Arturo Gatti fights. How can you not like it?
As for the white thing, I know plenty of black homosexuals that are boxers. For such a big bad gangster macho man, Hopkins always seems to be talking about gay sex. I clearly recall the comments he made about that [Antonio] Tarver guy when he said he would have made him his bitch or girlfriend back in jail or something like that. And that Mayweather guy, I even heard about some underground sex tape, where he’s doing some real questionable stuff with another boxer and some trannies. All this hate towards the MMA is ridiculous.
ZJ: According to some MMA fighters that I’ve spoken to, it is common for MMA fighters to take a pill before a fight in order to reduce involuntary sexual excitement during combat. Have you done this?
TD: Well, again, I started out during the early stages of MMA, and back then, we just had to wear really tight shorts as to prevent any arousal from getting visible. Now with all the modern stuff out there, guys are starting to buy stuff over the counter or even numbing creams to prevent this.
Some guys are stupid, naïve, or just don’t know anything about preparation for an MMA fight. I once saw a bout where two guys were wrestling on the ground for like 10 minutes and both of them were visibly aroused. The ref goes in to separate these two nuts, and when they get up off of the canvas, their Speedos are all soaked and let’s just say it didn’t look like sweat. Things like this happen because most fighters believe in refraining from sex before a fight. But once you have skin to skin contact with another person, biologically anything is capable of happening. They say this happens in jail too.
ZJ: Would you say that this is part of the reason why the LGBT community has flocked to MMA?
TD: I don’t think it’s really a sexual thing. LGBT people are very diverse and love all sports. Of course there are some LGBT that are attracted to MMA because of perceived sexual overtones, but I’m not sure I would say they are the majority.
ZJ: Thank you for the interview.
TD: Anytime.
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