http://espn.go.com/m...iew-mma-license
Florida State Boxing Commission officials are reviewing the mixed martial arts license of Championship Fighting Alliance women's featherweight tournament participant Fallon Fox after learning she is a transgender female.
Fox revealed her original gender to SI.com on Monday, two days after Fox landed a knee to the chin of Ericka Newsome, who was knocked out in 39 seconds of their quarterfinal bout in Coral Gables, Fla.
It is believed that Fox is the first transgender male or female to participate in an MMA event.
Neither FSBC officials nor CFA founder and CEO Jorge De La Noval was aware that Fallon was a trangender female. On the application she submitted March 1 for a Florida fighting license, Fallon listed her gender as female.
She claimed to be licensed in California, but her application is still being reviewed by that state's athletic commission.
During its rules workshops next week, FSBC officials plan to address how to proceed with applications submitted by transgender fighters.
"There is nothing on her application for a license that indicates anything of that nature," FSBC spokeswoman Sandi Copes Poreda told ESPN.com Wednesday. "We are currently investigating some allegations related to the information provided on the application.
"The commission is in the process of updating its rules for professional MMA events, and this particular topic will be part of our workshops on March 15. We'll have additional information about the rules workshops after it's completed."
In the meantime, De La Noval is standing fully behind Fallon, though he did not learn of her transgender status until after Saturday night's fight. He has no intention of removing her from the tournament.
"She [currently] has a license by the Florida State Boxing Commission as a female; she's going to stay in the tournament," De La Noval told ESPN.com. "She's a female fighter to us. And we're standing behind her when it comes to that.
"We're not going to kick her out of the tournament. She's going to continue fighting for CFA.
"It wouldn't be fair to cut her out of the tournament now. There's a lot of money on the line for her that she needs. She's a great fighter."
De La Noval said that Fallon was scheduled to return to action April 20, but with all of the controversy surrounding her competitive license in Florida, the bout has been postponed.
There is a discrepancy over how many MMA fights the 5-foot-6, 37-year-old Fallon has had. De La Noval said it is his understanding that Fallon has fought three times professionally, though he's heard she has competed in as many as five fights.
Despite the number of bouts Fallon has under her belt, De La Noval is convinced she is a high-caliber mixed martial artist.
"We want to give her a couple of weeks to get that license cleared," De La Noval said. "She's obviously a fighter. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that she is a fighter.
"But is she going to get a female license? That's what the whole debate is about now."
According to another article I read about the situation, she apparently began the transformation 10 years ago.
