Transgender mixed martial arts fighter Alana McLaughlin will be the subject of an upcoming Fuse Media documentary titled Unfightable.
McLaughlin, a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, became only the second openly trans woman to compete in MMA. She followed in the footsteps of Fallon Fox, who went 5-1 in the cage between 2012 and 2014.
“Lady Feral’s” life and entry into combat sports is set to be detailed by Emmy-winning director and producer Marc J. Perez and La Jaula Studios in a documentary recently acquired by Fuse Media.
The entertainment company announced the news on social media.
“We’re thrilled to announce our first theatrical film release the striking new documentary, ‘Unfightable.’ The real fight is outside the ring in this documentary from award-winning filmmaker Marc Perez chronicling a trans MMA fighter’s courageous journey for acceptance.
“Follow the journey of Alana McLaughlin (@lady_feral), a transgender woman venturing into the world of MMA, an arena notorious for its challenges and biases against transgender athletes. Having fought battles throughout her life, she now sets her sights on professional fighting. This is a trans journey unbowed, unafraid and unapologetically real-life.”
The Unfightable documentary is set to premiere in New York on September 13 at the Village East Theater. After a one-week run there, the documentary heads to Los Angeles’ Laemmle Noho 7 between Sept. 20 and Sept. 26.
The news comes amid the controversy surrounding women’s boxing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, regarding the participation of Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.
The pair had been disqualified after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests at the 2023 World Championships, staged by the International Boxing Association (IBA) — a governing body suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019 because of concerns over its finances, governance, ethics, refereeing, and judging.
Khelif came under an onslaught of abuse on social media and incorrect claims that she is transgender. The IOC have been firm with its backing, insisting that she and Yu-ting had been disqualified by the IBA last year without “due process.”
Further doubt was thrown over the IBA’s claims after figures in the governing body made conflicting claims about the bans they imposed during a widely criticized press conference earlier this week.
McLaughlin Won Professional MMA Debut By Submission In 2021
McLaughlin became a medical sergeant in 2007 and was deployed to Afghanistan as part of a 12-person unit. After opting not to re-enlist following six years of service and later transitioning in 2016, the American made her professional fighting debut in 2021.
She competed under the banner of Combate Global, sharing the cage with Celine Provost of France. McLaughlin had her hand raised after a difficult start to the bout, finding a submission via rear-naked choke in round two.
McLaughlin hasn’t competed since, a fact she put down to Combate Global’s surprise at the backlash it received for staging her debut.
“I think I really had high hopes when I got that first pro fight,” McLaughlin told Bloody Elbow in 2023. “And I thought there was going to be more to it. But I also think that the executives at Combate (Global) sort of underestimated the vitriol that was going to be coming my way.”