Arianny Celeste is undoubtedly one of the UFC’s most popular ring girls and has been employed by the promotion for over 15 years.
While the 37-year-old model has watched countless MMA fights and been present at as many weighing-in ceremonies, Celeste still gets awkward when fighters strip down to make weight.
Celeste made her UFC debut as a ring girl in 2006 and has won the Ringcard Girl of the Year at the World MMA Awards seven times, making her the undisputed queen of the ring girls. Apart from being a regular feature at UFC events, Arianny Celeste also models full-time and has been featured in top magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Playboy, and Maxim.
In an interview with Iron Man Magazine in 2015, the veteran ring girl discussed everything from her modeling career to her personal life. During the interview, Arianny Celeste revealed that having to watch fighters strip down to bare essentials during official weigh-ins still makes her awkward. She said:
“During the weigh-ins, the guys are almost naked. I have to stand there while being filmed live as they get undressed. Sometimes when the guys are overweight, they keep taking off their clothes and get more and more naked.”
She continued:
“Then, all of a sudden, they drop their shorts and are completely naked in front of the crowd. I have to stand there and try to look away while still posing for the camera!”
Is Arianny Celeste the highest-earning ring girl in the UFC?
While several ring girls in the UFC make mouth-watering figures, Arianny Celeste is the highest-earning ring girl in the promotion with a reported seven-figure income.
UFC ring girls have been an important feature of the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion for decades. While ring girls certainly add to the glamour of prizefighting, they are also required to announce match rounds by holding up numbered cards to the audience.
Given the size and popularity of the UFC, it’s perhaps unsurprising that octagon girls like Celeste make over five-figure salaries annually.
According to mediareferee.com, the average UFC octagon girl makes between $1000 to $5000 per fight for pay-per-view events, which adds up to between $20,000 to $50,000 annually. However, reports suggest that Arianny Celeste’s annual earning is a whopping $1 million.
The highly accomplished model and seven-time ‘Ringcard Girl of the Year’ award winner makes almost 20 times more than the second highest-earning ring girl, Camila Oliveira, who makes an estimated $50,000 annually. Meanwhile, octagon girls like Brittney Palmer, Chrissy Blair, and Carly Baker make $30,000 a year.
