Alana McLaughlin is a distinguished U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant. She's also a transgender MMA fighter looking to compete in the professional leagues.
McLaughlin's love of marital arts goes back to her youth.
"In the 80s and 90s, I really got into Bruce Lee kind of a crush, to be honest, because nobody else looked like that. Nobody else moved like that. You go back and watch any of the contemporary movies from that era, Bruce was the only one that had that kind of on screen charisma. It was the closest I was ever allowed to dancing," McLaughlin says in a clip from a new documentary about her life and journey as an MMA fighter.
The sport allowed her to reconnect with her body in a way she didn't think was possible.
"You know, it was an expression of the human body that I was at least tangentially allowed to access. You know, my sister's dance ballet and I wasn't allowed, you know, running was my first love when it came to athletics, but mixed martial arts, just martial arts in general, it's, it's a way to sort of reinhabit and reclaim my body. You know, it lets me feel like I have some measure of control that I might not otherwise," she says.
The documentary from Emmy winner Marc J. Perez traces McLaughlin's experiences from growing up to her time in the military.
"Having fought battles throughout her life, she now sets her sights on professional fighting. Unfightable is a powerful narrative that highlights the importance of transgender athletes' right to compete professionally and the remarkable bravery it takes to assert one's true identity," the film's description reads.
Unfightable opened in New York earlier this month and opens in Los Angeles Friday, September 20. It hits Fuse and ViX this October. Check out the clip below.
