Promoter sets CFA 11 for May 24 with Fallon Fox fight planned

Promoter Jorge de la Noval has a date for Championship Fighting Alliance 11 and plans to resume a women’s featherweight tournament featuring Fallon Fox.

CFA 11 is set for May 24 at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Noval said a network TV deal is in the works.

Although Fox’s Florida fight license currently is under investigation by the regulatory agency that oversees the state’s athletic commission, the fighter’s management has indicated she may still compete on the fight card.

“Her manager spoke to the commission and her license is active,” Noval wrote to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) via text message. “According to him, they said she was cleared to fight.”

Sandi Copes Poreda, Director of Communications for Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, confirmed that the fighter’s license has not been suspended or frozen in lieu of the investigation, which began in the wake of “allegations pertaining to the information provided on [Fox's] application.”

“Licensed professionals are afforded due process rights,” wrote FDBPR rep Beth Frady in a subsequent email. “Disciplinary action cannot be taken until all administrative hearings and appellate reviews have been completed.”

Frady, who stated the FDBPR has yet to receive a request from Noval for the May 24 event, added “there is no additional documentation that Ms. Fox will have to submit in order to fight in Florida.”

Earlier this month, Fox made national headlines by coming out as the first known male-to-female transgendered fighter. The revelation came shortly after her first tournament bout at CFA 10, which ended in a 39-second knockout victory.

Fox’s license paperwork for the March 2 bout revealed that she applied for the license as a female and claimed to be licensed by the California State Athletic Commission. As it turned out, Fox’s CSAC paperwork, which included medical documentation of her transgender surgeries, was under review, and she wasn’t licensed in the state.

Fox told SI.com that she believed she had a California license – in fact, it was merely a receipt for the fee she paid – and didn’t disclose her status because she was never asked. The CSAC subsequently said it would modify its forms to make the distinction between a receipt and license clearer, and the FDBPR said it would review its disclosure policies.

Fox’s manager, Brett Atchley, wrote via text that Fox (2-0) will fight tournament semifinal opponent Allana Jones (2-1) as planned. However, Jones’ trainer said that decision has yet to be made.

“The last conversation we had with [CFA] was that they were waiting until April 5 to see what the commission’s decision was going to be with Fallon’s license,” said Jones’ trainer, Glen Bailey. “Obviously, I have concerns about this fight. Not so much that I’m worried about Allana losing; losses happen within the sport. But the circumstances surrounding it.

“I’ve spoken with several different doctors about any kind of physical advantage, and I’m waiting for an opinion to be written for me from a doctor out of Arizona that is very familiar with the fighting world – actually, is very familiar with Fallon’s case. At this point and time, I can’t say, yes, we’ll take it. But I’m not going to say, no, we won’t take the fight either. I think there are some questions that are going to have to be answered.”

Jones’ manager, Pat Wilson, was not available for comment.

(Pictured: Fallon Fox)