A highly anticipated MMA title fight in China was abruptly canceled after fighter Miao Ding appeared at the official weigh-in wearing a bikini – leading to complaints and intervention from local sports authorities.

Miao Ding, a well-known figure in Chinese MMA, was set to compete for a championship when the incident unfolded.
According to her own account shared on social media, the cancellation was not a decision made by event organizers but was instead due to pressure from higher authorities:

After the weigh-in, the organizer received complaint calls, they have to forcefully cancel my fighting.
The reason is that I was considered to be indecent because I wore a bikini!

She elaborated that wearing a bikini for weigh-ins had always been her standard practice:

I have been wearing a bikini for the weigh-in since my first competition. At that time, I wasn’t famous and no one paid attention to me.
But now many fans follow me and are looking forward to watching my competition.

At the same time, there are also people who hate me and even say that I have disgraced the reputation of athletes.

The controversy grew even larger after a scuffle broke out between Ding and her opponent during the weigh-in, adding more tension to an already charged situation.

Despite support from the event organizers, Ding said the final decision ultimately came from the sports bureau:

The old codger from the Sports Bureau said I was indecent.
The event organizing likes me very much, but it was the superior department that forced them to cancel my competition.

Ding apologized to fans, but remained defiant:

I‘m very sorry that the competition was cancelled and let everyone down.

However, I will still insist on being myself.
I believe that in such a big world, there will always be a place that can accommodate me.

 

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