****sexuality and MMA

[GeneChing]

This has got to be one of the funniest MMA interviews I've read in quite a spell. I almost unlocked the Gay MMA thread for it.

Mean Machine
Mixed martial arts fighter Ryan Ford tackles Ginch Gonch
by William Yeoman
Published Thursday, 29-Jan-2009 in issue 1101

“I’ll knock out anyone who makes fun of me in my Ginch,” warns Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford. And he means it too. Standing 5 feet 11 inches and weighing 170 pounds, the mighty-muscled, multi-tattooed Mixed Martial Arts welterweight fighter is the new celebrity face of underwear fave, Ginch Gonch. “Ginch Gonch reminds me to take at least two moments each day from my rigorous training and smile. After all, I’m living my childhood dream.”

‘In it to win it’, Ford aims to become champion of the MFC (Maximum Fighting Championship) and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) leagues. With his record of 5 wins and no losses, he’s on his way. His most recent and most anticipated win was against Pete Spratt of the UFC via submission, where Ford first used the move he has become famous for, the Rear Naked Choke.

He is the son of retired boxer Allen Ford, once ranked third in the world and recently inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. As the celebrity face of Ginch Gonch, the young Ford is making history of his own, becoming the first professional Martial Arts Fighter to win an endorsement contract with a leading underwear brand.

Gay & Lesbian Times: How did you become the new face of Ginch Gonch?
Ryan Ford: A lot of my buddies wear it and I reached out to the company for some digs. After chatting with them, badda boom badda bing, I was in the back of a dump truck doing my thing.

GLT: Did you have to fight former campaign model Benjamin Bradley for the job?
RF: Who is Benjamin Bradley?

GLT: He was one of the original Ginch Gonch boys.
RF: Not familiar with him. So to answer your question, I didn’t fight him. I don’t fight ‘boys’ anyway.

GLT: Fighting is in your blood. Is it true your dad was a boxing champ?
RF: Yes, he was. My dad, Allan Ford, was ranked third in the world and was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame.

GLT: Did he inspire you to get into the ring?
RF: I guess he did. I always wanted to be like Dad.

GLT: But you went a different route – the mixed martial arts ring. Why?
RF: I started boxing but it just wasn’t hardcore enough for me. I wanted to go crazier in the ring, and nothing is more intense than MMA fighting.

GLT: How do you explain the overwhelming popularity of the sport?
RF: MMA fighting is raw and animalistic. It’s not controlled. Anything can happen and that really appeals to a lot of people.

GLT: Is the sport aware of its huge gay following?
RF: Gays are guys and every guy likes to see a good fight.

GLT: Yeah, but many gay men aren’t watching for the fight. Many are watching because half naked guys wrestling is, well, pretty hot…
RF: (Laughs) I don’t know how to respond to that except to say that yeah, I’d agree I’m pretty hot.

GLT: Is ****phobia a problem in the league?
RF: Not that I’m aware of.

GLT: Would an “out” fighter be accepted?
RF: If someone’s hardcore enough to kick ass in the ring, they deserve to be there. What they do outside of the ropes doesn’t matter after the bell rings.

GLT: What would you say to guys who believe two grown men wrestling in a ring is pretty gay?
RF: If it was said as an insult, I’d punch him out. You know what, I’d punch him out anyway because hateful bigoted words should not be tolerated anymore.

GLT: What has been your toughest match?
RF: They’ve all been tough but I can say my favorite fight so far was when I won against Pete Spratt of the UFC. I brought him down with a Rear Naked Choke.

GLT: What’s a Rear Naked Choke hold?
RF: It’s a move where your arm wraps around your opponent’s neck and then you grab your own biceps on the other arm. No one can get out of my Rear Naked Choke.

GLT: Who is your biggest rival in the ring and how do you plan to bring him down?
RF: Every single fighter in the league is my biggest rival. I’m bringing them all down!

GLT: What is your ultimate goal?
RF: My goal is to become welterweight champion of the MFC (Maximum Fighting Championship) and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). I’m on my way.

GLT: You’re the first Mixed Martial Arts fighter to win a national apparel campaign. Why were you chosen?
Because I’m rough and tough and I look great in my Ginches.

GLT: Does your vigorous training help you look good in briefs?
RF: I train three times a day including five mile runs, boxing, wrestling, kick boxing, weight lifting, strength and conditioning. Yeah, I’d say it helps.

GLT: Ginch Gonch is a wild and crazy underwear brand. Are you as wild and crazy?
RF: Look at me. What do you think? Yeah, I’m crazy. I like to party like a rockstar and kick ass “Real Deal” style in the ring.

GLT: You’ve said in interviews that your athletic idol is “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather. Why is that?
RF: Because he walks the walk and talks the talk. He has incredible ambition and an animalistic passion for competing that makes him unstoppable.

GLT: Do you subscribe to Ginch Gonch’s philosophy of “live like a kid”?
RF: You bet I do. Everyone has to have fun in life.

GLT: Besides the new Load’N & Dump’N’s, what is your favorite Ginch collection?
RF: The multiple stars because they remind me what I’m shooting for.

GLT: What do other fighters say about your underwear when they see you changing in the locker room? Have any dared to make fun of you?
RF: No one has made fun of me. In fact, the opposite. I got all my buddies wearing Ginch in the ring now. Dudes are constantly asking me to get them free gear.

GLT: How have your fans reacted to the campaign?
RF: They love it man! I think they’ve come to expect crazy **** from me so they like it.

GLT: The most important question: briefs or boxers?
RF: Both. I switch depending on the day.

Ginch Gonch’s newest line, The Load’N & Dump’N collection, featuring playful dump
trucks, is in stores now. For more information, visit www.ginchgonch.com.

[GeneChing]

...but there's like over 400 'gay' threads - I didn't think this needed a new one and this is one of the fresher ones that hasn't gone sour....yet.

Irish martial arts coach crowned Mr. Gay World at contest in Whistler, B.C.
22 hours ago

WHISTLER, B.C. — A 37-year-old Irish man has been crowned Mr. Gay World at the debut of the contest in Whistler, B.C.

Max Krzyzanowski, who won the Mr. Gay Ireland title in Dublin in October, vied for the title against 19 other hopefuls from around the globe.

The contest included fashion shows, photo shoots and even a wilderness survival course.

Krzyzanowski, a security guard and martial arts coach in Dublin, will now travel the world as a goodwill ambassador for the gay community.

He says his first message is to young people who need to stop feeling afraid of how other people judge them.

Mr. Gay Paraguay was the first runner-up, with Mexico placing second, Australia third, New Zealand in fourth position and Canada fifth.

[Oso]

"Mr. Gay Paraguay"

[GreenCloudCLF]

"Mr. Gay Paraguay"

Right next to "Ur a gay"...

[Oso]

the rhyming was just too much for me....somehow reading that article made me think of a remake of 'Hello Dolly' with an all gay south american cast and directed by the Southpark creators...

i've already made an appointment with my therapist...

[GeneChing]

It used to be "Ryan Ford tackles Ginch Gonch". But as we weren't mature enough to keep the Gay MMA thread open, maybe this will work as this is a topic worth discussion IMO.

Anderson Silva: There are a lot of gays in mixed martial arts
By Jim Buzinski @outsports on Dec 9 2014, 12:21a 1


Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The UFC fighter says: "You want to be gay, be gay, it’s all right."

Legendary UFC fighter Anderson Silva says he was bullied as a youth in Brazil for taking ballet, leading some to think he was gay. This revelation in a Brazilian magazine Trip led to this question and answer about gays in mixed martial arts:

Q: On prejudice towards ****sexuals in mixed martial arts:

A: I don’t think there’s prejudice, but there’s a lot of ****sexuals in mixed martial arts. There are a lot of them who haven’t yet come out.

[If they were to come out,] nowadays it’s so silly to not express your feelings. As long as you respect people’s spaces, and respect their limits. You have to live your life in peace and no one has anything to do with that.

I would train with a gay man. As long as he respected me, it’s all right. I don’t think much of it. The fact that guy is gay doesn’t mean he’s going to accost you. He can be gay, have a relationship, live among guys who aren’t gay. he can do whatever he wants with his private life.

Q: On vanity and getting picked on in the gym:

A: They tease me. Sometimes people think I’m gay. A lot of people have asked me if I’m gay. I answer, “Look, not to my knowledge. But I’m still young, it could be that in the future I’ll find out that I’m gay." I take good care of my things, I put everything in a bag, I use soap, I put on a cream after training. People think it’s capricious. To each his own. Doesn’t mean you’re more man or less man, more gay or less gay.

Silva, 39 and a former UFC champion, doesn't say anything more about gays in the sport but I loved how he allowed that he might discover another side to his sexuality as he gets older. It's not something most straight men would ever admit to.

Eh, who am I kidding? This thread will probably go volatile and have to be locked too eventually.