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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon girls, surely a welcome sight in a city like Las Vegas — home base of the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion — are considered to be “outdated” in some parts of the world.
Like Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
That could be a problem for the card-carrying ladies ahead of the UFC 243: “Whittaker vs. Adesanya” pay-per-view (PPV) event, which just so happens to be scheduled for Marvel Stadium next month in Melbourne (see that fight card here).
“It’s 2019, do we really still need scantily-clad women to wander around the middle of a fighting ring between rounds?” Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp asked Herald Sun. “Grid girls are no longer part of Formula One, walk-on girls are no longer part of professional darts — surely it’s time to move on.”
Grid girls have been removed from professional racing in many parts of the world and last weekend’s boxing event in Victoria, featuring Jeff Horn vs. Michael Zerafa, replaced its ring card girls with men after getting pressured by politicians and women’s advocacy groups.
No word yet on whether UFC will follow suit, but it should be noted that Octagon girls have been able to use their profession as a catalyst into bigger and better opportunities, including but not limited to modeling and music.
For much more on UFC 243 click here.