As you all weren't mature enough to discuss Gay MMA without getting the thread locked down, this will have to sit here.

Liz Carmouche, professional mixed martial artist, and openly gay (video interview)
2/1/2013 7:00am by John Aravosis 2 Comments

I got a chance to sit down yesterday via Skype with Liz Carmouche, 28, a professional mixed martial arts fighter who is openly-gay, and will be competing in the first-ever, women’s UFC title fight against Ronda Rousey on February 23, 2013 on Pay-Per-View (UFC 157: Rousey vs Camouche).

I talked to Liz about being openly-gay and a woman in professional sports, about her nearly six years in the US Marines, and about growing up lesbian.


Liz Carmouche, professional mixed martial artist.

MMA is basically a mix of kickboxing, boxing, martial arts, and jiu jitsu. The thing is, up until now, the premiere MMA organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has only permitted male mixed martial arts fighters. That’s why the upcoming match between Liz and Ronda Rousey is such a big deal. The hope is that the UFC will see merit in women MMA matches, and continue the fights beyond this upcoming one.

Liz is a joy to interview. She’s just so much fun, energetic, smart, thoughtful, and that smile – she has a never-ending smile. If both of us weren’t gay, I’d be in love. Seriously though, she’s quite impressive, and not at all like her scary-faced tough-gal publicity photos. She’s a really smart, interesting woman. I hope she keeps talking about what it’s like to be gay in professional sports, because I think she could really make a difference.

Liz has no problem talking about being gay, and in fact sees it as a bit of a selling point for her career in MMA. Liz’s fans, many of whom are lesbians, but certainly not all, even have a nickname for themselves that Liz laughs about: Lizbos.


Liz Carmouche and her signature smile.

At one point I asked Liz if it made sense to keep male MMA and female MMA competitions separate. She said it did make sense, but she could still beat the guys because she’s so strong. Her extraordinary strength earned her the nickname “Gorilla.” Though it’s spelled: “Girlrilla.”

The interview is around 17 minutes long, so watch at your leisure. It’s fun.
Follow the link above for the vid.