Arianny Celeste and Brittney Palmer, two well-known UFC ring girls, have fired back at comments made by Khabib Nurmagomedov criticizing their role in combat sports.
Nurmagomedov stirred controversy recently by stating that ring girls have no meaningful function in sports like MMA and boxing. In response, Conor McGregor shared a Simpsons scene on Twitter showing characters representing Celeste and Palmer dancing around one labeled as Nurmagomedov.
Celeste expressed, “Sorry we make you uncomfortable,” while Palmer reposted McGregor’s tweet with the comment, “Sorry not sorry.”
Nurmagomedov, who is now coaching fighters at the American Kickboxing Academy and has launched his MMA promotion without ring girls, questioned the purpose of their presence in martial arts.
He stated, “I don’t want to offend anyone, ring girls are the most useless people in martial arts. What is their function? Do they help people understand the sport or simply indicate it’s the second round?”
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping agreed with Nurmagomedov’s assessment, acknowledging that ring girls are not participants in the actual fights but serve to enhance the spectacle and entertainment value of events.
The debate around the role of ring girls in combat sports continues, with differing opinions on the significance of their presence in the industry.
