Pearl Gonzalez has some choice words for her fellow Chicagoan, top UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Blaydes drummed up some controversy by suggesting that some female fighters are given preferential treatment based on their looks, rather than their athletic accomplishments.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m a girl dad so lemme make this clear I\u2019m not against female athletes getting publicity and media push and love from fans when it\u2019s deserved and earned thru legitimate hard work and grinding,” Blaydes wrote on Facebook<\/a>. “My issue is why do so many female athletes complain and gripe about being overly sexualized by fans\/media but then at the same time many of them are profiting off said sexualization thru media endorsements, high profile placement on fight cards, and overall popularity which leads to many other financial opportunities. <\/span><\/p>\n “I don\u2019t hate hustling either like if that\u2019s how a female wants to pay her bills thru her body which is what many strippers do and i have no problem with either hustle but you can\u2019t live life that way and expect to garner the same type of respect and love that real grinders get,” Blaydes added. “You can\u2019t have your cake and your ice cream pick one, either you\u2019re gonna hustle and make money off your athletic achievements and skill set or you\u2019re gonna hustle and sell bikini pics and forfeit that respect hard work and sweat brings….this is an open table discussion just wanna hear y\u2019all\u2019s honest opinions.”<\/span><\/p>\n Blaydes the engaged in a debate with several commenters on his post. One commenter asked Blaydes if he believed Invicta’s Gonzalez was benefitting from her looks.<\/p>\n “I know of Pearl she\u2019s another one who\u2019s not a very good fighter but stays relevant cause she\u2019s constantly posting bikini training pics, her skills are exactly what they were 5 years ago a brawler with terrible footwork and decent grappling,” Blaydes responded. “Too many females in the athletic industry are getting by on being sexy not actually being good at their craft.\u201d<\/p>\n It did not take long for Gonzalez to respond to these comments, and she was understandably not impressed.<\/p>\n A fighter complaining how my looks keep me relevant and that my skills haven\u2019t improved. The fact you are today years old and still can\u2019t speak a full sentence blows my mind.<\/p>\n \u2014 PEARL GONZALEZ (@PearlGonzalez) April 30, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n