****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.

[sanjuro_ronin]

That was gay.

[GeneChing]

I'm waiting for someone to be brave enough to out themselves here. Not just some clown troll, but a genuine LGBT member. I'm sure we have some. This forum will have progressed when one comes out here.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I'm waiting for someone to be brave enough to out themselves here. Not just some clown troll, but a genuine LGBT member. I'm sure we have some. This forum will have progressed when one comes out here.

To be honest and incredibly politically incorrect:
Who gives a flying ****?
Honestly.
I couldn't care less about anyone sexuality ( or lack there of).

[Wayfaring]

So the takeaway from this thread is that Anderson Silva is not gay he just has impeccable taste in eyeglass frames.

[Vash]

Another aspect that wasn't touched on - he's Anderson Silva, and anyone who decided to bash him, gay-style or heterodox, would be Silva'd the fudge out.

[GeneChing]

Meet 7 female mixed martial artists who are out and proud
By Tim Bissell  @timothybissell on Feb 17, 2016, 1:14a


Jessica Andrade, left, and Raquel Pennington are out in MMA. - Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Among today's champions, trailblazers, fan-favorites, and hot prospects are openly gay women

In 2012, the Ultimate Fighting Championship accepted what many had been saying for years - women can fight, and people want to see it. In creating their first female division they revolutionized the entire sport. Since then, a woman has become the biggest star MMA has ever seen and scores of female fighters have been given the opportunity to compete at the highest level.

Among today's champions, trailblazers, fan-favorites, and hot prospects are openly gay women. These are just some of the out stars of women's MMA.

LIZ CARMOUCHE

A former aviation technician with the U.S. Marine Corps, Liz Carmouche made MMA history on Feb. 23, 2013, when she became the first female fighter to step foot in the UFC's octagon. On that night she fought Ronda Rousey for the UFC women's bantamweight (135-pound) championship belt. Though she had Rousey in trouble early, "Girl-Rilla" would eventually succumb to Rousey's signature armbar. When Carmouche entered the UFC cage she also became the first openly gay fighter to compete in the biggest MMA promotion on the planet. Since her loss to Rousey, Carmouche has fought four times in the UFC, winning twice and losing only to women who would go on to challenge Rousey for her belt.

Carmouche has long been a proud voice for her community, having done numerous interviews discussing the challenges of both being a gay member of the military and a gay professional athlete. Carmouche's pride is never more visible than when she fights, where she can be seen sporting a rainbow flag mouth guard.

The 31-year-old, who had three tours of duty in the Middle East, fights out of the San Diego Combat Academy. Though Carmouche is known more for her wrestling, 6 of her 15 wins have come via technical knockouts. Listed ninth in the UFC's women's bantamweight rankings, Carmouche is a difficult opponent for any fighter hoping to climb into the uppermost echelons of women's MMA. Carmouche herself can get into title contention once again should she put together a string of impressive wins.

RAQUEL PENNINGTON

Raquel ‘Rocky' Pennington won over fans during her run on the UFC's flagship reality series "The Ultimate Fighter. In 2013 she was a member of Team Tate, coached by Meisha Tate (who fights Holly Holm for the UFC bantamweight title on March 5 at UFC 196). Opposing Team Tate was Team Rousey, led by the pop culture icon herself. Pennington's barn-burning brawls were, without doubt, the most entertaining fights shown in the series. Pennington's fan-friendly style is not the only thing that made her stand out, though. Pennington candidly revealed her coming out story to viewers, as well as the issues she had faced as a young gay athlete.

Since her time on the show Pennington has fought five times in the UFC. Two of her three wins in the promotion came via chokes. Her most recent loss was an extremely close bout versus current champion Holly Holm (who in 2015 dethroned Rousey in stunning fashion).

Pennington, who trains out of Colorado's Altitude MMA, is ranked 13th in the bantamweight division. At 27, Pennington is in the prime of her career. She faces Bethe Correria (a previous title challenger) on April 16 live on FOX Sports. A victory over Correria could advance Pennington considerably in the rankings, putting her two or three wins away from championship fight.


JESSICA ANDRADE

Jessica Andrade, a native of Brazil's Parana State, is known for her fierce ground-and-pound striking. This style has paved the way to four wins out of seven contests in the UFC. Andrade's first fight in the UFC was a loss versus Liz Carmouche. The fight between Andrade and Carmouche was the first ever fight between two out athletes in the UFC. All of Andrade's fights in the UFC have been at 135 pounds. In October 2015, shortly after a defeat to Raquel Pennington, Andrade announced her plans to drop down to the UFC's women's strawweight (115 pounds division.

Andrade is not known to give many interviews or share much of her personal life with fans and media. In a rare interview, with MMA Junkie, Andrade discussed being gay and how she feels a male fighter may find it more difficult than a woman to come out in the world of combat sports.

Andrade, who stands just over 5 feet, was often outsized by her bantamweight opponents. If the same ferocity Andrade displayed against larger women overwhelms fighters closer to her own size, it may not be long until she is fighting for a championship belt.

TONYA EVINGER

Outspoken Tonya Evingeris one of the hottest fighters in women's MMA, having reeled off eight straight victories. On July 9, 2015, the Missouri native won the Invicta bantamweight belt after TKO'ing Irene Aldana. On Sept. 12, 2015, she defended the belt against Pannie Kianzad, whom she also TKO'd. Nicknamed "Triple Threat," Evinger is an accomplished boxer, wrestler, and submission artist. In her 21 professional fights she has 16 wins, 13 that came via stoppages. Evinger has hinted that a bout against Christiane "Cyborg" Justino (Invicta's 145lb champion) could be in her future. That match-up has the potential to become the most watched Invicta fight of all time. Evinger next title defense is expected to be against Colleen Schneider in May.

Evinger operates with no filter, making her a refreshing outlier among fighters who are generally prone to cliché and drab statements. When asked by Sherdog what she would do after winning the Invicta title, she replied, "spank my girlfriend."

Evinger, who fights out of Houston's Gracie Barra Champions gym, was a nominee for Best Female Fighter at the 2016 World MMA Awards.

JESSICA AGUILAR

A former strawweight champion for World Series of Fighting, Jessica "Jag" Aguilar abdicated her belt in order to make the move to the UFC. Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Aguilar fights out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida (one of the world's premier MMA gyms). With 24 fights under her belt Aguilar is a true veteran of the sport. Aguilar has 19 wins to her name, but she lost her last fight - her UFC debut - to top-ranked Claudia Gadelha in August 2015.

Aguilar, who is bisexual, is a pro ambassador for Athlete Ally; a non profit that provides public awareness campaigns and educational programming designed to foster inclusive sporting communities.

Aguilar is a multi-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion who is currently ranked 13th in the UFC's strawweight rankings. Aguilar will face Juliana Lima at UFC 197 on April 23. Many are keen to see if "Jag" can rebound with a win after her first loss in five years.

EDIANE GOMES

Ediane "India" Gomes has been fighting professionally since 2007, winning 10 out of 14 professional bouts. The 35-year-old Brazilian is remembered for being involved in one of the most infamous fights in MMA history. Early in her career Gomes defeated a man in the now-defunct Rio Heroes organization (which was little more than an underground fight club). A recovering drug addict and former street kid, Gomes last competed in Invicta's 135-pound division.

In an interview with MMA Junkie in 2012 Gomes stated that her Brazilian teammates, who are mostly men, have always been respectful of her sexuality. The article also revealed that Gomes had married her longtime girlfriend, whom she had met in the U.S.

In January, Gomes was forced to pull out of a fight at Invicta FC 15, when she was unable to safely make weight. Prior to this Gomes had set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for pre-fight medical costs. Gomes is a fighter in every sense of the word, but her professional mixed martial arts career may be coming to an end.

RENATA LIVIA SOUZA

Invcita's strawweight champion Renata Livia Souza hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Souza holds an undefeated record after nine professional fights. She debuted in March 2013 and since then she's finished all but two of her fights via submission. Souza, who has been competing in judo and jiu jitsu since she was 7, defended her title versus DeAnna Bennett on Jan. 16, winning by TKO.

"Livinha" is 24 years old and, like most millennials, she is an avid user of social media. Instagram seems to be her venue of choice and her account features a bevy of selfies, most of which are tagged with phrases like #respect, #rastafari, and #gblt (the Brazilian equivalent of LGBT).

With years before she hits her prime, Souza has the potential to become one of women's MMA's brightest stars. Souza recently stated that she is ready for the UFC, believing there were no women left in Invicta who could challenge her.

Tim Bissell writes for Bloody Elbow. You can follow him on Twitter.

For a second, I read that as "#respect #rastafari and #gblt (the Brazilian equivalent of LGBT)." Gotta have that Oxford comma.

[sanjuro_ronin]

And the question needs to be asked:
Who cares?
I mean, the vast majority of MMA fans are, well, we know the target audience, the same as the WWE.
So, yes, lesbian and bi women will always be welcumed and no, that wasn't a typo.
If anyone truly thinks that this is somehow "empowering" or a "betterment" for GLBT they are seeing what THEY WANT to see and not what is really happening.

[GeneChing]

And the question needs to be asked:
Who cares?

outsports.com cares. They published the article.

Not that I frequent that site. It just came up on my newsfeed.

[sanjuro_ronin]

outsports.com cares. They published the article.

Not that I frequent that site. It just came up on my newsfeed.

I guess, I don't know, I just don't get this whole caring about anyone sexual orientation.
I mean, the whole point is, or at least WAS, that it is no big deal if someone is gay or bi or whatever and yet it seems that the very people that USED to fight for it not making difference are the ones that keeping bring it up.
Truly, I don't know of anyone that actually cares about the sexual orientation of anyone else until THEY bring it up.