UFC, beyond the shadow of a doubt, is the biggest MMA promotion in the world. However, despite being the behemoth that it is, the backlash that it faces for fighter pay is never-ending.
Fighters and fans have always been extremely vocal in expressing their dissent over the issue. Moreover, athletes don’t even shy away from taking a dig at the promotion for treating fighters unjustly while taking care of specific people.
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Of late, the intended target has been the ring girls. Former UFC middleweight, Uriah Hall, came out allegedly claiming that the ‘ring girls’ make a lot more than the majority of the fighters in the UFC. In an interview, he revealed that a ring girl makes $70k compared to a fighter, who’s risking his life. Furthermore, he labeled the whole situation as “f*cking ridiculous”
Does a UFC ring girl make more than a fighter?
A fighter’s purse is very subjective, meanwhile, also depends on a number of variables including longevity, contract, etc. However, Hall came out blaming the UFC for picking and choosing the fighters it wished to pay more while ignoring the rest. The statements made by the former fighter sparked a debate on the internet.
Luciana Andrade, who happens to be a UFC ring girl, came out lashing on the internet, responding to the claims made by Hall. She took to her social media to clear the air.
Andrade wrote a couple of tweets, where she shed light on the entire situation. She explained that the work is just a “gig” and not a “full-time job”. Therefore, she continued, “all these numbers you see online are far from the truth. We’re not competing for a better pay – we’re simply doing our jobs as brand ambassadors, which is what we were hired for.”
In these [almost] 8 years of working as a Ring Girl, I never once got involved in any controversies but I feel we need to address this nonense about our pay and all the hate that comes from it.
— Luciana Andrade (@LucianaAndrade) October 16, 2022
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The Brazilian then voiced her thoughts and took subtle shots at Hall’s statement. She continued that one must respect the career choices of others and not spread misinformation. Since it misleads the public into thinking otherwise.
However, in conclusion, she appreciated the majority of the UFC and MMA fans and said that they have always been respectful towards the entire community of ring girls. Subsequently, she ended by writing, “it’s time to grow up.”
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What do you think about the whole controversy? Let us know.
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