Miesha Tate on Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate recently expressed her views on the participation of transgender individuals in women’s sports.

Tate, who made a comeback to the UFC after a five-year break, has been fighting about once a year since her return in 2021. In a recent interview, she was asked whether women should be open to competing against trans athletes.

“I don’t know if there’s enough evidence, but some people will feel satisfied with the evidence. I don’t,” she stated, highlighting her concerns about the safety of biological women competing against trans women.

She elaborated that the physical challenges women face, like menstruation and hormonal fluctuations, make the competition inherently uneven. “I don’t consider the competition to be ‘100% equal’,” Tate mentioned, adding that she does not support trans individuals competing in women’s sports.

The discussion is not new; Tate has been vocal about the issue in the past, particularly regarding trans fighter Fallon Fox, who faced criticism in her MMA career for competing against cisgender women. Tate firmly stated that she refused to fight Fox back in 2013, advocating for fairness in the sport.

Tate further claimed that the nature of sports isn’t inherently inclusive: “Sports isn’t meant to include everyone.” She emphasized the importance of recognizing talent and hard work, suggesting that giving awards without merit could confuse children about their abilities.

In her view, “If you’re not enough, you don’t make it,” Tate remarked, sharing insights on the life lessons sports can teach. “It’s a hard lesson, but a valuable one.”

Tate last fought in May, winning a unanimous decision against Jana Santos.