Jeff Molina, who fights in the UFC’s flyweight division recently came out as bisexual. However, this was not a coming-out story of triumph and acceptance. A leaked NSFW video of him on the internet outed Molina. Jeff addressed it in a lengthy Twitter post, also criticizing UFC fans for their stance on the LGBTQIA+ community.
However, UFC fans rubbed Molina the wrong way even before he came out as bisexual. Earlier, Molina lambasted UFC fans for their backlash against the rainbow shorts the UFC released to commemorate Pride Month. “El Jefe” was using this customized attire to raise money for the LGBTQIA+ Center of Southern Nevada. However, this decision caused a vocal group of MMA fans to attack the American flyweight, leaving him flabbergasted.
Molina took to the mic at the UFC Vegas 56 post-fight press conference to vent his frustrations with UFC fans. He said, “I was honestly shocked. So I picked the colors because I thought it looked cool and also it supports a good cause. I’ll support anything of a community that’s been oppressed and ostracized for some time for something they can’t help.”
El Jefe continued, “I just thought in 2022 people would be a little more open-minded and not pieces of s***, but I guess I was wrong. It’s just crazy to me. People were saying some crazy s***.” It seems a year on from that day, nothing changed as Molina had to put up with a lot of flak after coming out on Twitter.
Jeff Molina blasted UFC fans for being homophobic when he came out
It wasn’t a part of Jeff Molina’s plan to come out at this stage of his career. In the aforementioned Twitter post, Jeff also revealed exactly why he planned on coming out as bisexual at a later point in his life. Molina wrote, “I wanted to be known for my skills and what I’ve dedicated the last 11 years of my life to not and not the “bi fighter” that I’m sure would just be translated to “gay UFC fighter.”
👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/zho13QHXeT
— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) March 17, 2023
He also explained why he thought this would be the case, citing the homophobia displayed by a majority of UFC fans. El Jefe wrote, “In a sport like this where a majority of the fans being the homophobic c******kers they are I didn’t see myself doing this during this part of my career.” The strong words used by Molina only show how hurt and angry he is at the attitudes of the fans he fights for.
However, Molina also acknowledged that there were many who supported and appreciated him. He wrote, “As much as I am getting hated/sh***ed on I’m getting an equal amount of support & it means a f**k ton.” While it’s nice that Molina received some support, the fact that he received any backlash for being himself is appalling. One can only hope that UFC fans soon acclimate to the idea of active fighters from the LGBTQIA+ community.