Alana McLaughlin

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Alana McLaughlin
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Born
West Columbia, South Carolina
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States of America
Occupation
  • Former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces
  • MMA fighter

Alana McLaughlin (born in 1983) [1] is a former member of the United States Army Special Forces|U.S. Army Special Forces[1] and current Mixed martial arts|MMA fighter. She has a professional record of 1-0-0, having made her debut fight in Miami at Combate Global on September 10, 2021.[2][3] She is the second openly trans women ever to have fought professionally in MMA.[1]

Early Life

McLaughlin grew up in West Columbia, South Carolina in a conservative family that frequently tried to make her more Masculinity|masculine and sent her to conversion therapy.[4] McLaughlin was not allowed to play sports until her junior year of high school, at which point she joined the Cross country running|cross-country team. In her final two years of high school, McLaughlin performed well enough to receive a scholarship to Newbury College (United States)|Newbury College, where she ran for two years before transferring to Winthrop University.[4] While attending Winthrop, McLaughlin had her final conversation with her mother, who made clear she would rather her daughter die at war than live as her daughter.[4]

McLaughlin finished her degree in fine arts in 2015 at University of North Carolina at Asheville|UNC-Asheville.[4]

Special Forces

McLaughlin joined the United States Army Special Forces|U.S. Army Special Forces in 2003 at the age of 20. By 2007, she was a medical sergeant deployed to Afghanistan as part of a 12-person unit. After six years of service, McLaughlin chose not to re-enlist.[4]

McLaughlin earned eight distinguished service medals throughout her career.[4]

MMA Career

McLaughlin had her professional debut on September 10, 2021 at Combate Global against Celine Provost.[2] McLaughlin won the fight by Rear naked choke|rear-naked choke in the second round, giving her a professional record of 1-0-0.[1] McLaughlin trained with MMA Masters, a gym in Hialeah, Florida, prior to the bout.

McLaughlin is the second openly transgender woman to fight professionally in Mixed martial arts, the first being Fallon Fox who last fought in 2014.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Transgender fighter McLaughlin wins MMA debut". ESPN.com. 2021-09-11. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Alana McLaughlin to make Combate Global historic debut". Combate Global. 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  3. Webb, Karleigh (2021-09-12). "Trans MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin gets trailblazing win". Outsports. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Alana McLaughlin's journey from US special forces to trans MMA fighter | Loretta Hunt". the Guardian. 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2022-01-06.

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