“Female, Born With Lady Parts… HI HATERS” – Imane Khelif’s Olympic Gold Medal Win in Boxing Gets Ex-UFC Star’s Backing After Israel Adesanya Issues Apology

The Paris Olympics 2024 have given sports fans a lot to cheer for, with many athletes etching their names in the history books at the event. But despite the games bringing people together in the Olympic spirit, controversies have also reared their head. Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, found herself in a storm after her win over Angela Carini took just 46 seconds, leaving her opponent in a pool of tears inside the squared circle.

The internet quickly became a battleground, with a wave of backlash questioning Khelif’s gender and her eligibility to compete. The wave of misinformation also got former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya wrapped up in it. But now, with a gold medal secured, a former UFC star has come out to fire back at the “haters” in support of Imane Khelif!

Derek Brunson slams “haters” as Imane Khelif wins gold at Paris Olympics 2024

The uproar surrounding Imane Khelif’s gender stemmed from the IBA (International Boxing Association) disqualifying her from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships. The reasoning behind her disqualification was the IBA alleging that she had failed gender eligibility tests. But the IOC was firmly behind Khelif as Mark Adams, chief spokesperson for the organization stated during a press conference, “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport…”

However, despite the situation being cleared, the misinformation surrounding Khelif continued to be spread on social media. But that didn’t stop the Algerian from running through her opponent, Chinese world champion Yang Liu in the finals with a unanimous decision victory and clinching the gold in the welterweight division. And to highlight a different side of the online response, former UFC middleweight, Derek Brunson, took to X to share his support for Khelif!

“Imane Khelif wins the Gold Medal. A lot of propaganda and lies . Born a female , born with lady parts . Lies about the IBA tests that were not disclosed . Not a transgender . That’s not allowed in her country . HI HATERS #SHEisHER #IMANEKHELIF”, an ecstatic Brunson shared on his social media account, adding his voice to the chorus of congratulations for Khelif and her remarkable achievement.

However, while Derek Brunson was firmly on the side of the Algerian boxer, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya had to apologize for his comments regarding Imane Khelif. ‘The Last Stylebender’ admitted to being caught up in the misinformation surrounding the issue and cleared the air about why he made the comments.

‘The Last Stylebender’ makes an apology to Khelif for his harsh comments  

Imane Khelif’s win over Angela Carini had caused a massive wave of outrage from certain sections of the internet. Israel Adesanya also got ensnared in the flames of controversy as he joined in on X to state, “Men should not be boxing women. Lol he couldn’t even finish her. Anyway, People > politics.”

However, with the overwhelming evidence of Khelif’s gender and the firm backing of the IOC and many other prominent voices, Adesanya later came to terms with his mistake. Speaking on ‘The Rock’, Adesanya apologized by stating, “So, to the lady, my bad. I got that wrong. To the lady, the boxer, I’m sorry. I didn’t understand what was going on.”

Now, as the first Algerian female gold medalist in boxing, Imane Khelif’s story is one of resilience and strength in the face of adversity. Her journey wasn’t just about winning a medal; it was about standing tall against a tide of doubt and misinformation. What do think about her incredible story and its heartwarming ending? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!