UFC 243 takes place this Saturday Night in Melbourne, but the promotion has faced some criticism in the lead up to the event because Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp doesn’t believe the UFC should be using Octagon Girls anymore.
Dana White says that the Octagon Girls are an integral part of the UFC and that Capp needs to educate herself about what they mean to the UFC.
“Our Octagon girls, they’re as much a part of the UFC brand as anyone, they’re ambassadors for our sport,” White told The Daily Telegraph. “So for someone who has absolutely no education whatsoever about who these girls are – about what they do, what they mean to the UFC – to start going off, it’s ridiculous.”
The Octagon Girls have been with the UFC for over a decade now, with some of the more notable girls being Arianny Celeste and Brittney Palmer, among others.
White also says that there is nobody out there who treats women better than the UFC does.
“So you can look at any sport you like, nobody treats women better than we do,” White said. “And I’d suggest these people calling on them to be banned go have a look at what these girls do with the company, the type of money they’re making. Do that and you’ll realize these girls are as important to our brand as anyone else in the company. And that’s exactly the way we treat them.”
UFC 243 takes place on Saturday, October 5 from the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia with Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
