Photo Credit: Keith Mills
A biopic on transgender mixed martial artist Fallon Fox is in the works at Mark Gordon Pictures. Being penned by T Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper, the Fallon Fox biopic will dive into Fox hiding her identity as a trans woman before coming out in 2013. It will also deal with the abuse she received from the mixed martial arts community.
“I’ve had a great time so far working with the producers and writers bringing this story to life,” Fox said in a statement. “I hope this film sheds some light on the topic of trans athletes in sports. This story needs to be told now more than ever.”
Fox, who was nicknamed “The Queen of Swords,” had a controversial run in combat sports from 2011 until 2014. She ultimately went 5-1 as a professional with brutal knockouts of Ericka Newsome and Elisha Helsper kickstarting her career. She eventually tasted defeat at the hands of Ashlee Evans-Smith, who picked up a TKO victory in 2013. Fox would fight two more times, defeating Heather Bassett and Tamikka Brents.
The Fallon Fox biopic will also deal with the controversy that her fights caused and the debate over if a woman assigned male at birth should be able to fight in a women’s division in the sport. One of her most vocal critics was former Ultimate Fighting Champion titleholder and WWE star Ronda Rousey. “She can try hormones, chop her pecker off, but it’s still the same bone structure a man has,” Rousey told the New York Post in 2013. “It’s an advantage. I don’t think it’s fair.” Current Bellator MMA heavyweight Matt Mitrione was also suspended from the UFC over statements he made at the time about Fox.
“As transgender/LGBTQIA writers and creators, we know in our bones the inherent value in and necessity of telling stories from the inside out, rather than from the outside looking in. We’re thrilled to be teaming with Mark Gordon Pictures to help bring Fallon’s undeniably powerful and relevant story to the screen,” said the Coopers of the film.
