Transgender Woman Anne Veriato Makes History By Beating a Man in MMA Fight…
Transgender sports has a new pioneer in Brazilian fighter Anne Veriato. She became the first transgender woman to defeat a man in mixed martial arts. The landmark occasion took place in Manaus, Brazil, at Mr. Cage 34. Veriato fought Railson Paixao in a flyweight bout.
It’s often been complicated for sports regulators to deal with transgender athletes because there are just so many variables involved in making the rules for them to compete. In combat sports, it is particularly significant because an unfair match-up can lead to devastating consequences.
Veriato answered all critics by fighting in the men’s divisions, despite the fact that she has gone under hormonal therapy to transition into a woman. Whenever a controversy arises it is usually because a transgender woman is competing in women’s sports, leading to claims of an unfair physical advantage.
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No Fear
The Brazilian pioneer knew from the beginning that if she fought against other women she wouldn’t get the recognition or respect that she wanted. In fact, by competing against men, she is the one offering up a disadvantage to her opponents. She told MMA Fighting:
”It’s only fair to fight men. It never crossed my mind to fight a woman because I think I’m too good. If I beat men my entire career, I can still beat them despite the hormone process. 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.”
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Hormonal Therapy
Veriato’s hormonal therapy means that she is replacing male hormones with female ones. After a while, the female hormone starts to become dominant. Veriato explains how this actually gives her a physical disadvantage against men. She said:
“Since we do hormonal therapy to become more feminine, the male hormone starts to disappear and don’t come back anymore after a while. I didn’t have the same strength in the gym after that, so that’s why I train so hard to be strong enough to fight men. I feel the difference in strength, and that’s why I work hard.”
The fact that she is actually willing to face physically stronger opponents just to prove herself as a skilled MMA athlete is really something that has to be respected. Her win over Paixao is even more special because of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=624&v=E0YYqNwQQo0
What a Win
Veriato took the win by unanimous decision after a back and forth fight. Paixao had the advantage on the feet and made it count in the early rounds. However, Veriato soon took the fight to the ground. Ju-Jitsu requires as much skill as it does strength and Veriato made her skills count to dominate Paixao throughout the fight.
It will be fascinating to watch how Veriato’s career progresses. Obviously, she has a long way to go to become a mainstream success, after only her first octagon appearance. However, she’s already created a new landmark moment and should be proud that she will no doubt be inspiring other transgender athletes around the world.
