Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t be having ring girls in his newly established Eagle FC, which he made abundantly clear after claiming them to be “the most useless people in martial arts.”
However, in this article, we’ll explore how much UFC ring girls make, and why they’re far from useless and worth the money – by looking at the highest-paid ring girls in the UFC.
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How Much Do UFC Ring Girls Make per Fight?
The UFC’s payment for ring girls is undisclosed (never revealed), meaning any numbers seen online are estimates; with many sources reporting UFC ring girls make a base pay of $1000 per fight, as well as a $5000 PPV event bonus fee.
It’s also reported all UFC ring girls make the same base pay and PPV bonus, across the board. The difference in pay for each ring girl relies on the number of fights, events, and PPV bonuses each girl works. As the more experienced UFC ring girls work more events and PPV events, they’ll earn the most.
Paying them the same per fight makes sense because they work closely among a small roster of ring girls and they’re all doing the same job, so earnings should be based on the amount of time and events worked.
Let’s use these numbers to determine how much a UFC ring girl’s salary might be.
How Much Is a UFC Ring Girl’s Salary? (UFC Only)
Despite the numbers being undisclosed, by number crunching it’s possible a UFC ring girl’s salary is between $105,000 to $253,000, but this can vary on factors such as years working for the UFC, and the number of events and fights worked during a year.
Here’s an example breakdown of how much a UFC girl makes at the high end and low end:
There were 13 PPV events in 2021, which means if a ring girl worked 7 of those events, they earned $35,000.
Each event has an average of 11 fights, and most fights have 3 rounds, with an average of 3 or 4 ring girls working. If there were 3 girls working and a maximum of 33 rounds, a ring girl could work a maximum of 11 fights during an event – which equates to $11,000 for a non-PPV and $16,000 for a PPV event.
There were a total of 43 UFC events in 2021, so if one girl worked 23 events (just over half), she could have made around $253,000 plus $35,000 in PPV bonuses, bringing a UFC ring girl’s salary to $288,000 (UFC Only).
I think working just over half of the events for a single ring girl is around the maximum, as after looking through Vanessa Hanson’s website, she has just 5 UFC events scheduled from 1st June through to her 5th event on the 3rd October, which includes the months of June and July as free.
As a more conservative example, a ring girl might work 15 events out of 43 (around a third), and might only work 3 PPV events in the year. In the 15 events, the girls may only work in 7 fights, as many fights don’t make it past the first round. This gives $105,000, plus a $15,000 PPV bonus, making a total of $120,000 for a ring girl’s UFC salary.
The less experienced ring girls likely won’t work 3 PPV events and may work less than 15 events in a year, so it can vary a lot based on these numbers.
Unlike UFC referees, who work for the various State Athletic Commissions, UFC ring girls are working directly with the UFC under contract.
Although base pays for each fight and PPV bonuses remain constant and equal, it’s highly likely the ring girls with the largest online audience, who have worked for the UFC the longest, or work as a host of a UFC show, have some kind of annual bonus or way to earn more in their contract.
Although undisclosed, UFC ring girl’s contracts are probably yearly and require them to work a minimum number of events in order for them to earn the yearly bonus, rather than being on a strict schedule of when they must work.
UFC Ring Girl’s Salary – Why Do UFC Ring Girls Make So Much?
They make so much because the UFC is a promotion, and UFC ring girls are promoters. Not only do they wear sponsored clothing while they work, but they actively promote the UFC to their followers online and attract a lot of business and interest for the UFC.
This means the ring girls with a bigger online audience are more valuable and less replaceable, which is why most UFC ring girls have been with the promotion for years.
Moreover, most of the UFC ring girls work other roles within the company, such as hosting a show. They’re also attending Friday weigh-ins, meaning sometimes they’re working 2 days a week for the UFC, and they work long shifts on fight day, which can be up to 13 hours or more if you include traveling. Also, let’s not forget about the expenses they have to pay when traveling.
Their earnings are further justified because most, if not all UFC ring girls, have a large online audience via Instagram and can earn good money outside of the UFC through modeling, endorsement deals, advertisements, affiliations, and promoting their own businesses. This means their time is worth more and the UFC must pay higher to keep them working there.
Lastly, UFC ring girls make so much and it’s justified because they’re part of the UFC’s history. In 2021, the UFC brought in revenues of $1 billion, meaning if they have to pay a total of around $2-3 million for all of their ring girls, the return they get much outweighs this pocket money.
Now let’s look at some of the most popular UFC ring girls to see what other work they do, how much they make, and their reported net worths:
UFC Ring Girl – Arianny Celeste
With over 3.2 million Instagram followers and having won Ringcard Girl of the Year 6 times, Arianny is sure to be the highest UFC ring girl earner, one way or another. This is because as mentioned above, she is the most valuable to the UFC in terms of promotion, and should be rewarded for this.
Not only this but she’s been with the UFC since 2006, meaning she’s very loyal and any contract she has now is sure to be higher than what she earned 16 years ago. It wouldn’t make sense for her to earn the same per event as a ring girl who’s only been with the UFC for a few years.
Outside of the UFC, due to her large online following, she’s able to make big money from promotions and endorsement deals, so the UFC has to pay her the most otherwise working there wouldn’t be worth her time.
Also, she uses her online audience to promote her two main businesses which are The MMA Glow and Girlfriend Box – Girlfriend Box sells pre-scheduled jewelry gift boxes.
Arianny’s other work has included working as a co-host for the TV show ‘Overhaulin’, and with Joe Rogan for the UFC’s Ultimate Insider in 2010. She’s also had many modeling jobs including, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, and FHM; and has had various TV appearances, along with a few movie roles.
Overall, she’s worked many years with the UFC and has had much other work along the way. Most of her income now comes from promoting to her large online audience, and she has a reported net worth of $4.5 million.
Therefore it’s unlikely she’d still be working with the UFC unless they were paying her a pretty penny. Arianny Celeste’s UFC salary is at least $100,000, and her estimated total annual earnings are a minimum of $500,000.
UFC Ring Girl – Brittney Palmer
With 1.2 million Instagram followers, Brittney makes a lot of money through promotions and endorsement deals. She’s worked with some commercial brands such as Reebok and Bird Scooters, but mostly with various boutique brands. On top of this, she has an Only Fans account and is making good money from this.
She also studied art history and classic portraiture at the University of California, and now makes money through an Instagram account dedicated to her own art business, where she sells custom paintings, prints, murals, and NFTs. Not only this but she’s also used her art to raise over $100,000 in donations for various charities.
Brittney has worked with the UFC since 2005, and will also be paid well for her longevity and popularity; otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth her time to continue working there. She’s won the Ringcard Girl of the Year award 5 times and is the third UFC ring girl to model for Playboy.
Again, no one really knows how much UFC ring girls make, but with all the different business ventures, Brittney is easily a millionaire. This means the UFC must be paying her at least 6 figures to stay there – as an estimation, Brittney Palmer’s net worth is $5 million and her annual salary is a minimum of $400,000.
UFC Ring Girl – Camila Oliveira
Camila has 324k Instagram followers and with this large an online following, through advertisements and promotions, she’s likely to be making similar amounts to her UFC annual earnings, if not a lot more.
She has been modeling for 8 years since she was 16 years old, working in runway shows and TV commercials, so built up a name for herself this way.
In 2013 she became the first Brazilian UFC ring girl and in 2021 she began hosting the TV show UFC Connected – Brazil (Conexao UFC).
With her online following and hosting abilities, she’s able to promote the UFC to her large Brazilian audience, where they have many fighters and the UFC is already hugely popular, meaning she’s valuable to the UFC as Camila brings in a lot of business and interest from South America.
Camila Oliveira’s annual salary is an estimated minimum of $300,000.
UFC Ring Girl – Carly Baker
Carly is another UFC ring girl who joined in 2013, and she’s the first European ring girl. She’s from Wimbledon in England and formerly represented them in the Miss Great Britain beauty pageant.
With an online audience of 242k Instagram followers and her position as the main UFC ring girl from Europe, she’ll be paid well by the UFC as she captures and promotes the UFC to the European market.
Aside from her UFC work, she’s also an actress, presenter, personal trainer, singer (group SW1), and glamour model – meaning she doesn’t rely on the UFC income as her earnings are diverse. As a model, she’s worked for notable brands like FHM, Nuts magazine, and Playstation.
It’s reported her net worth is between $1-5 million, but it’s more likely to be between $1 million-$1.5 million based on the earnings of the more popular UFC ring girls. Carly Baker’s annual salary is likely $250,000 and up.
UFC Ring Girl – Chrissy Blair
Chrissy is another UFC ring girl who joined in 2013 and was poached from Strikeforce along with Vanessa Hanson.
With 213k Instagram followers, Chrissy can make thousands through endorsements and promotions. However, she mostly uses her Instagram to promote her businesses.
The first is her model portfolio which sells a collectible photobook shot called Chrissy Volume 1, which comes in two different editions at prices of $200 and $60. Her second business is Kalumi Beauty which sells food products, promoted as beauty supplements and healthy snacks. Her third way of earning online is through her Cameo account, which is a website where you can pay celebrities to create personalized videos.
On top of this, Chrissy’s a model and has worked for big brands such as Maxim, Sports Illustrated, and Guess. Overall, Chrissy seems to be the most business savvy of all the UFC ring girls, helped by her degree in fine art and graphic design; and is likely paid highly by the UFC to keep her services.
Her estimated reported net worth varies wildly, with most reporting $1.5 million, which is probably on the lower end. Chrissy Blair’s annual salary is a minimum of $400,000.
UFC Ring Girl – Rachelle Leah
With 19k Instagram followers and 55k on Twitter, Rachelle can earn money through promotions, but it’ll be less than the other UFC ring girls because of the smaller audience. She has promoted various products, in the fitness, health, art, and clothing industries.
She also uses her Instagram to promote products on Amazon, while she’s only an affiliate and not a seller. This is probably smart as she’ll make more money as her online audience grows, while not facing the risks of starting her own company.
She was hired by the UFC in 2004 when she was just 19 years old and has worked there ever since. Not only as a ring girl, but Rachelle has also worked as a host for the UFC’s Inside the Octagon and The Ultimate Fighter – meaning the UFC will pay her a good bonus because of her versatility and longevity.
Rachelle is also a tv personality and American model, having modeled for Ford Motors and many magazines, such as Playboy, Maxim, Men’s Fitness, and Vegas Magazine.
Her net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 million, which is most probably on the higher side; and her annual salary is $200,000 and upwards.
UFC Ring Girl – Vanessa Hanson
Vanessa has been a UFC ring girl since joining from Strikeforce in 2013 and is valuable to the UFC because of her longevity and an online audience of 300k Instagram followers.
Vanessa earns a lot of money online, through the promotion of products and services in the health and beauty, fitness, and grooming industries.
She also uses her online audience to promote her co-owned yoga business and studio in Long Beach, California, known as Olive Yoga.
She’s also one of the most active models out of all UFC ring girls and works for various agencies across the US. These include Brand_Models, Tricia Brink Management in LA, Dulcedo Models in Toronto, and CGM Models in Miami. Also, she has modeled for huge brands such as Heineken, Jaguar, Maxim, and Nasty Gal, just to name a few.
As an estimation, Vannessa Hanson’s net worth is $1.5 million, which seems accurate considering her online presence, businesses, UFC earnings, and extensive model work. Her annual salary is likely a minimum of $300,000.
UFC Ring Girl’s Salary – The Bottom Line
How much do UFC ring girls make? Plenty. Despite the UFC hiding most of how much they pay personnel, it’s easy to see how UFC ring girls make a salary of at least 6 figures – from the UFC alone.
For the long shifts they do, the other work they do in the UFC, how they promote the UFC globally to their online audience, and how many years most of them have worked for the UFC, 6 figures should be the minimum.
Especially when you realize they’re all making much more from their online promotions and business ventures outside of the UFC, likely in the hundreds of thousands annually, if not more.
