Being an openly gay athlete in a sport like MMA takes a lot of courage to say the least. Though the vast majority of the MMA community is completely accepting, such as UFC President Dana White who has voiced his support of LGBT fighters multiple times, some are not.
Those select few are few and far between however, and shouldn’t prevent others from being who they are. Those who disapprove are a dying breed too and the more openly gay fighters who come out the easier it will be for everyone else.
That’s why the following fighters on this list are so important and so brave.
6) Tecia Torres
Tecia Torres is currently ranked at number 4 in the UFC woman’s strawweight division. She was a contestant on TUF 20 where she made it to the quarter finals. Tecia is currently in a relationship with fellow UFC Raquel Pennington who is next on our list.
5) Raquel Pennington
Raquel Pennington, nicknamed Rocky, competes in the UFC women’s bantamweight division where she currently holds a 5-2 record. She was a contestant on the Rousey vs Tate season of TUF where she made it to the semi-finals.
4) Jessica Andrade
Jessica Andrade used to compete at bantamweight in the UFC but has recently made the move down to strawweight where she has found new life for her career. Andrade made history in her fight with Liz Carmouche by having the first match in UFC history between two openly gay fighters.
3) Shad Smith
Shad Smith, while never having competed in the UFC, deserves some credit which is why he is ranked so high on this list. Being different is always hard but as a gay male fighter he likely faced much more adversity than his female counterparts and deserves credit for his bravery.
2) Liz Carmouche
Not only is Liz Carmouche is the first openly lesbian fighter in the UFC as well as the first one to fight for the title, she also took part in the first ever female UFC fight in her title bout against Ronda Rousey. Talk about making a mark. Though she came up short in that fight she is currently ranked in the top ten in her weight class.
1) Amanda Nunes
Amanda Nunes is the current UFC bantamweight champion and the first openly gay UFC champion ever. She won the title when she defeated Miesha Tate is blistering fashion on the biggest stage possible in the main event at UFC 200. She is in a relationship with fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansoroff who Nunes has referred to as the best training partner I’ve ever had in my life.
