The Ultimate Fighting Championship is more popular now than ever, making its name among the big leagues in sports. Despite the brutal action taking place inside the Octagon, the UFC places gorgeous women around the cage holding signs in between every round during fights. Several ring girls have become fan favorites during live events. Many of them are known for their massive presence on social media.
One such gorgeous beauty who has been racing pulses with her sizzling presence is Carly Baker. Being the first Octagon girl from Europe, Carly signed with the UFC in 2013. Aside from her Octagon duties, the Wimbledon resident has also signed with an acting agency. Baker is fresh off of a dazzling appearance at London’s O2 Arena for UFC 286. In the past, Baker has represented Wimbledon in a Miss Britain competition.
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Hardcore fans remember the duo of Brittney Palmer and Arianny Celeste during PPV events. Palmer joined the promotion as a ring girl in 2005, making her one of the earliest ring girls. On her off day, the 35-year-old indulges herself in creating masterpieces on canvases. It is noteworthy that Brittney won the Ringcard Girl of the Year at the World MMA Awards in 2012, 2013, 2019, and 2022.
Arianny Celeste, on the other hand, is arguably the most popular ring girl in the MMA community. Boasting 3.2 million followers on Instagram, the 36-year-old began her ring girl career with the UFC in 2006. 17 years later, Celeste is still a strong fixture at live events. Riding on her UFC success, the American has graced the covers of Playboy and FHM magazines over the years.
Unlike other sports organizations, the UFC doesn’t hold back their athletes, nor their gorgeous ladies who hold signs mid-round for the fans. Some of the ring girls have popularly appeared on Playboy covers. However, others are known to promote exclusive content for devoted admirers behind a paywall.
How much do the UFC ring girls earn?
The ring girls currently signed to the promotion earn an average of $1000 in fight fees with an additional $5000 during PPV events. However, depending on the magnitude of the pay-per-view, its location, and the main card fighters, this amount may increase.
Arianny Celeste is perhaps the most famous ring girl signed to the company. Per reports, she takes home a check worth a massive $1 million annually. This makes her the highest-paid ring girl amongst her peers. The iconic model made her UFC debut at the age of 21 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada.
Another Octagon girl, Camila Oliveira, has been with the promotion since as early as 2013. She reportedly earns $50,000 per annum, becoming the 2nd highest-earning ring girl in the UFC today. Both Brittney Palmer and Carly Baker rank number 3 on the list as the duo rakes in a good $30,000 annually.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s views on ring girls
Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov came into the limelight in August 2021 when he introduced his Eagle FC promotion. However, the 34-year-old came under scrutiny for certain remarks he made about ring girls. He deemed them useless and unnecessary while claiming his promotion will never hire ring girls.
Khabib Nurmagomedov: Ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts.
😂🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/OOSEHsWuKI
— Samirah (@SameeraKhan) August 24, 2021
“Look, I don’t wanna offend anyone, ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts. What is their function? You can show that it is the second round on the screen.” Khabib continued, “Do they develop the sport? What are they doing? Tell me, please. I realize this is history and history knows many mistakes. We read history to avoid mistakes of the past in the future.”
Soon after, the MMA community fired a barrage of heat toward the former champion. UFC veterans Michael Bisping, Conor McGregor, and Valentina Shevchenko lashed out at Khabib for his remarks. Even ring girls Brittney Palmer and Arianny Celeste had a few short words to share in retaliation.
