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UFC ring Vanessa Hanson has been a mainstay with the promotion since 2013. The 32-year-old started her professional journey as a swimsuit model in Orange County, California, and has collaborated with globally acclaimed magazines like GQ, Maxim, and Cosmopolitan. Hanson has amassed a following of over 285K on Instagram.
During an interview with TMZ Sports in 2016, the UFC ring girl discussed the most attractive fighter in the promotion's lineup at the time. Hanson singled out former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, citing his striking looks and stature as factors for her choice.
Additionally, she lauded Weidman's rival, Luke Rockhold for having the most impressive athletic physique among fighters.
Check out Vanessa Hanson's comments below:
Weidman made his return to the UFC after a hiatus of more than two years at UFC 292 in August. Unfortunately, his comeback didn't unfold as planned and culminated in a unanimous decision loss to Brad Tavares.
'The All-American' faced a harrowing leg injury at UFC 261 in April 2021 against Uriah Hall, resulting in a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula - one of the most severe in-competition injuries in the history of the MMA promotion.
Vanessa Hanson reflects on how she joined the UFC
Vanessa Hanson detailed her journey into the UFC during a 2015 interview with Maxim. Her career took off when she won Transworld Surf’s 2011 UFC Model Search, earning her a guest spot as a UFC octagon girl at UFC 136. This marked the beginning of her career as a ring girl, all while maintaining her modeling pursuits. Hanson stated:
"It was really random actually. They actually found me at the beach; they had a booth for the US Open of surfing and were looking for girls. The girls that I was with entered and made me enter. I got a call three months later. I had no idea about the UFC at all."
Following this milestone, she took on the role of a ring card girl at Strikeforce. The pivotal transition to the UFC took place in 2013 when she officially became an octagon girl, making her debut at The Ultimate Fighter season 17 finale.
