Alana McLaughlin is a former member of the

U.S. Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal m ...

and current

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

fighter. She has a professional record of 1-0-0, having made her debut fight in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Combate Global Combate Global (previously Combate Americas) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) sports franchise and media company directed toward a Hispanic audience. It includes TV broadcasts, live events, and mobile content Combate Global airs on Univi ...

on September 10, 2021. She is the second openly

trans woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

to have fought professionally in MMA.

Early life

McLaughlin grew up in West Columbia, South Carolina in a conservative family that frequently tried to make her more

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...

, and in doing so, her family placed her into

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...

. McLaughlin was not allowed to play sports until her junior year of high school; at that point, she joined the

cross-country Cross country or cross-country may refer to: Places * Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland * Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY * Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yo ...

team at her high school. During her final two years of high school, McLaughlin performed well enough to receive a scholarship to

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. It has 1,250 students. Accreditation Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award bac ...

, and she ran cross-country for two years before deciding to transfer Winthrop University. McLaughlin finished her degree in fine arts in 2015 at

UNC-Asheville The University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville, UNCA, or simply Asheville) is a public liberal arts university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville is the designated liberal arts institution in the University of N ...

Special forces career

McLaughlin joined the

in 2003 at the age of 20. By 2007, she was a medical sergeant, who was deployed to Afghanistan as part of a 12-person unit. After six years of service in the military, McLaughlin decided not to re-enlist. McLaughlin earned eight distinguished service medals throughout her career. On her social media accounts, McLaughlin has been critical of the military.

Mixed martial arts career

McLaughlin had her professional fighting debut on September 10, 2021, at

against Celine Provost. Fighting under the name of Lady Feral, McLaughlin won the fight by with a

rear-naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

in the second round, and this gave her a professional record of 1-0-0. McLaughlin trained with MMA Masters – a gym in Hialeah, Florida – prior to the bout. McLaughlin is most known for being the second openly

transgender woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and som ...

to fight professionally in

, with the first being

Fallon Fox Fallon Fox (born November 29, 1975) is an American former mixed martial artist (MMA), and the first MMA fighter who is openly transgender. Early life Fox was born in Toledo, Ohio. She recalls struggling with her gender as early as age five or ...

who last fought in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, Alana 1983 births People from North, South Carolina Living people American transgender people Transgender women American LGBT rights activists Transgender rights activists LGBT mixed martial artists Transgender sportswomen Transgender military personnel United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Winthrop University alumni Newberry College alumni