UFC ring girl pay: Luciana Andrade dismisses notion of earning more than fighters

UFC fighter pay has been one of the most controversial topics in MMA for many years. Last year, reports emerged that a few ring girls in the promotion were earning significantly more money than what many fighters on the promotion's roster make annually.

However, in a recent appearance on MMA Fighting, UFC ring girl Luciana Andrade dismantled such narratives, saying that they were 'far away from the truth'. Speaking to veteran journalist Ariel Helwani, the 36-year-old said:

"I mean, this is the tale as old as time, far away from the truth... It's the internet right, you can finish the show here and go and write an article saying that I make two million dollars an hour and people are going to believe it. It is not true, we don't get paid more money than the fighters."

According to Luciana Andrade, most ring girls in the US only get to work once or twice a month. She further clapped back on the absurdity of people's unreal notions about her pay scale, saying:

"Think about it, we have 14 girls across the globe. Some girls work [only] a few times a year because we don't have international fights with the same frequency that we have in the US. Let's talk about the US girls, we're six total, we rotate."

"So you work twice a month if you're lucky. Let's use common sense, do you really think we'd be making more money than the fighters... to walk around a few rounds, obviously not."

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How much do UFC ring girls earn?

Based on a report by media referee, UFC ring girls earn a base pay of $1000 per fight and $5000 for every pay-per-view event they work in. Their pay significantly increases if they are selected to work during the main pay-per-view bout.

Apart from these, the intensity and popularity of the fights also factor into the overall payout of the octagon girls. Interestingly, they are also awarded performance bonuses akin to what the fighters earn during fight events.

Furthermore, many ring girls boast a massive social media following which has enabled them to land major promotional and sponsorship deals with popular companies, further elevating their income. Octagon girl Arianny Celeste reportedly rakes in seven figures per year.