MMA Fighter Julian Erosa Calls Out Lia Thomas: ‘I Don’t Like Cheaters'

Julian Erosa had some choice words for men who compete in women's sports — namely, Lia Thomas.

After his first-round submission win over Ricardo Ramos at UFC Vegas 89 on Saturday night, Erosa spoke to reporters about the unfair advantages of males who compete against females. And he specifically challenged Thomas.

"I don't like cheaters," Erosa said. "I wanted to encourage him to transition from women's swimming into women's MMA, and then I'll transition into a woman and beat that dude's ass."

He continued: "The world that we're living in, there's no common sense anymore."

Thomas, of course, is the transgender swimmer who won gold in the 500-yard women's freestyle in the 2022 NCAA Championships and tied with Riley Gaines in the 200. Now, Thomas is now challenging a World Aquatics policy that bans trans athletes from women's events if they underwent male puberty.

RELATED: Lia Thomas Fighting Secret Legal Battle While Eyeing Spot On Women's Team For 2024 Olympics

But, as Erosa explains, that ban is in place for a reason.

"If you went through male puberty… there's nothing you can do. There's nothing you can give yourself to shrink your bones down. There's nothing you can do," Erosa said. 

"The proof's in the pudding, right? Like you have, you know, Mr. Thomas… Whatever he was ranked as a man, and he's just beating all the women. It's obvious. It doesn't matter how much estrogen you're taking."

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One reporter noted that combat sports (like MMA) are different than non-contact sports (like swimming). She asked the 34-year-old fighter if there were any instances in which it would be OK for men to compete against women. Erosa said no.

"I'm not the smartest crayon in the box… but if I don't know anything about anything, I can still tell you it's unfair," he said. "You know, it's so funny to me that women will fight for their own spaces, and then they also fight for trans woman to be in those spaces. And like, those are just men. 

"When is it going to be where there's going to be hundreds of men in these sports, and then it just becomes another man's sport?"

Great question, Julian. Let's hope there are enough smart crayons in the box to keep that from happening.