Jeff Molina Says He's Bisexual After Video Leak; UFC's 1st Out Male LGBTQIA+ Fighter
March 17, 2023
UFC fighter Jeff Molina announced in a social media post on Friday that he is bisexual after a private video of him was released on social media Thursday.
He is the first male UFC fighter to publicly announce that he is part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
"Not the way I wanted to do this but the chance to do it when I was ready was taken from me," he wrote in part. "I've tried to keep my dating life private from social media. I've dated girls my whole life and suppressed feelings I had throughout high school being on the wrestling team, throughout college pursuing MMA, and even after making part of the dream happen and getting into the UFC."
His full post is below (warning: graphic language):
"I wanted to be known for my skills and what I've dedicated the last 11 years of my life to ... and not 'the bi UFC fighter' that I'm sure would just be translated to 'gay UFC fighter,'" he added.
Molina, 25, has gone 3-0 in the UFC and is 11-2 overall as a professional MMA fighter. He last defeated Zhalgas Zhumagulov in June at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik.
He is currently suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, however, for his role in an alleged betting scheme with coach James Krause. According to David Purdum of ESPN, Krause "has acted as an agent for an offshore bookmaking operation for years."
Molina—who has described himself as an "MMA gambling degenerate"—wasn't shy about benefitting from Krause.
"He's trained with a lot of the fighters, lives and breathes this sport as a coach/fighter, and at times has the scoop on injuries—non-announced matchups—how fighters look like in camp, etc.," he once wrote for Krause's betting subscription service, the 1% Club, according to Purdum. "In stocks this is called insider trading in MMA betting it's called James Krause. For the last six months all my bills including mortgage and car note have been paid via Krause's picks. Do yourself a favor and join the VIP."
The UFC will not be offering Molina any fights until any pending government investigations into his relationship with Krause have concluded.