New Delhi, India
A lot has been said about trans-athletes competing in the realm of mixed martial arts. Fans were offered some insight into what they might expect if a trans-woman were to lock horns with a male fighter inside the cage.
Shane Mistretta vs Gita Figueroa went toe-to-toe against each other at the WCFL 32 event back in June 2022 under the promotional banner of the World Class Fight League. The action unfolded at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC in Tampa, Florida.
The fight card was headlined by a bantamweight fight between Christian Ynastrilla and Matt Betzold. Mistretta and Figueroa, on the other hand, went up against each other in a lightweight clash, which took place during the initial stages of the event.
Mistretta managed to overcome the challenge presented by Figueroa merely two and a half minutes after the sound of the first bell. After what can only be described as a brief spirited scrap between the two, Mistretta landed a barrage of strikes from close range that eventually sent Figueroa flailing to the mat.
A Man beat a Trans-Woman in an MMA Fight. Props to the Girl, she had balls. pic.twitter.com/ku1LJ0Ah4Z
â MMA Roasted (@MMARoasted) August 30, 2022
The referee called a stop to the action shortly thereafter by stepping in and waiving the fight off before lending Figueroa a hand and helping her find her feet. She was subsequently examined by the ringside physicians to diagnose the extent of the damage she had sustained over the course of the fight. As a professional MMA fighter, Mistretta boasts of a record of 3-3-0. Figueroa, on the other hand, is 1-1 in his fledgling career in the realm of mixed martial arts.
Footage of their fight recently went viral on social media, prompting a variety of responses from connoisseurs of combat sports from all over the world. In fact, it also prompted responses from professional MMA fighters including Jake Shields and UFC middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya.
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This just feels weird.
Who sanctioned this?
Why we allowing this?? https://t.co/NidX2Hx10B
â Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) September 2, 2022
'The Last Stylebender', for one, did not seem too pleased with what went down at WCFL 32. He made his feelings clear regarding the fight, wondering who had sanctioned such a fight.