UFC fighter Julian Erosa challenges controversial trans swimmer Lia Thomas to become an MMA fighter… claiming that he would transition to being a woman just so he could ‘beat that dude’s a**’

Veteran UFC fighter Julian Erosa issued a bizarre challenge after winning his preliminary fight on Saturday: He called out swimmer Lia Thomas and told her to become an MMA fighter.

In a strange moment during the post-fight press conference, Erosa talked about how he didn’t like cheaters and specifically criticized Thomas while confusing the former University of Pennsylvania swimmer.

As part of his challenge, Erosa told Thomas to become an MMA fighter, before, bizarrely, volunteering to medically transition to being a woman.

Erosa said: “I wanted to encourage her, or encourage him, to make the transition from women’s swimming to women’s MMA, and then I’ll transition to become a woman and I’m going to beat that guy’s ass.”

Then, just seconds after suggesting that she wanted to become a trans woman for this challenge, Erosa went on to talk about how unfair it is for trans women to compete in women’s sports.

“That’s what I wanted to say because it’s about getting a little bit of shock value,” Erosa said. ‘But I mean, in the world we live in there is no common sense anymore. It’s getting a little ridiculous.

‘Obviously, that’s one of the most important things that’s ever happened… It’s happening now. I just don’t agree with men in women’s sports… and girls who are, or guys who fight in women’s MMA and get knocked out, it’s a bad image.’

A journalist in the audience followed up and said that transitioning from male to female and competing in combat sports is “much worse” than making the same transition to compete in swimming.

When asked if there is any case where she feels it would be acceptable for trans women to compete, Erosa responded: “Of course not.”

‘I just fully believe that if you went through male puberty, there’s nothing you can do. There is nothing you can give yourself to shrink your bones.

‘There’s nothing you can do about that. The proof is in the pudding, right? There’s Mr. Thomas, who was whatever was classified as a man, and he’s just beating all the women. It’s obvious.

‘It doesn’t matter how much estrogen you’re taking. I think we’re obviously in a gray area, but these gray areas seem stupid to me because it’s common sense. I’m not the smartest crayon in the box, but I could tell you that if I don’t know anything about anything, I could still tell you that in my opinion it’s unfair.

‘People are going to have their opinions to say what they want, but it is something that I firmly believe in, that I find it very funny that women fight for their own spaces, and then also fight for trans women to be in those. spaces.

‘Those are just men. When will there be hundreds of men in these sports and then it will become other men’s sport?

‘It’s so strange to me. I don’t know. We could dive into that can of worms all day. But yeah, that’s how I feel about it.’

Erosa improved his record to 29-11 after defeating Ricardo Ramos in the featherweight bout via submission via guillotine choke.

Thomas has not competed in swimming since college, after World Aquatics established a policy in 2022 that set parameters for trans women to compete.

That policy would only allow people to transition from male to female as long as male puberty stopped at age 12.

Thomas is suing World Aquatics, claiming the policy is discriminatory.