Anthony Birchak knows the fight business hasn't always provided the most welcoming environment for the LGBTQ community.
The UFC bantamweight competitor grew up in the diverse college town of Tucson, Arizona, where he was exposed to a wide array of people. And while he loves the sport of mixed martial arts, he was never comfortable with the stigma attached to gay people in some corners of a macho industry.
"Before I was a full-time fighter, I worked as a bartender downtown," said Birchak, who meets Dileno Lopes at Thursday's UFC Fight Night 90 in Las Vegas.