How Much Do Ring Girls Make?

Ring girls are not just ladies walking around the ring between the rounds and informing the fans about the next one. Their role and obligations are much broader as these ladies are a part of the combat sport as a brand. You may wonder how much ring girls make for their services.

Whether it’s MMA, Boxing, or other sport, ring girls are paid per event and make from $1,000 to $5,000 per fight. Since each UFC or Boxing event includes between 12 and 14 matches, ring girls make as low as $12–14,000 up to $60–70,000.

This sounds like a lot of money. More than some fighters are earning, along with the bonuses, right? Let’s explore how much ring girls make in more detail and discover much unique information.

How Much Do Ring Girls Make?

Ring girls make as little as $12,000 or as much as $60,000 per event. Their salary is based on various factors, such as the importance of the event, the promotion they work for, and their popularity. The roster of ring girls includes dozens of beautiful ladies, some of whom are newcomers who earn much less than some well-known ones.

Overall, the money ring girls make is often just a fraction of their actual income and net worth. In most cases, these ladies use combat sports like Boxing and MMA as a platform to get a spotlight, develop a fan base, and grow their social media channels.

Dozens of millions of people watch some popular UFC PPV and Boxing events, and receiving a spotlight in such events will boost their popularity.

This will open the doors to many other opportunities outside the fighting game. Most of them would grow a successful modeling career, get good endorsement and sponsorship deals, and overall earn more money than while working as ring girls.

How Much Do UFC Ring Girls Make? 

UFC octagon girls make around $50-60,000 per year, except for the most popular, Arianny Celeste, who earns up to $1 million.

Arianny Celeste

Arianny Celeste is, by far, the most popular UFC octagon girl who has been with the company for over a decade. She is synonymous with octagon girls in MMA, and she has accumulated solid wealth over the years. From the UFC alone, Celeste is getting $1,000 per match in fees and another $5,000 per fight on the PPV events.

However, her annual income is much higher, over $1 million, which makes her a top earner among UFC octagon girls. Considering that UFC fighters earn $148,000 annually on average, you get that Celeste is earning more than some UFC fighters.

Celeste also has over 3 million followers on Instagram and social media platforms. Apart from endorsement deals, she is also a successful model, and her net worth is estimated at around $3 million.

Camila Oliveira

According to available data, the beautiful Camila Oliveira is the second highest-paid UFC octagon girl. For her services, Oliveira is making $1,000 for fight fees and $5,000 per fight in the PPV events. Her annual income from the UFC alone is estimated at around $50,000.

Like her colleagues, these numbers do not include all her photoshopping sessions with premium magazines or sponsorship deals with top brands.

Brittney Palmer

Brittney Palmer is also one of the most popular ring girls of all time and a global star in the modeling world. She earns roughly $5,000 per fight during high-profile PPV events and $1,000 for match fees. Her annual UFC income is around $30,000, but this number is probably much higher.

Palmer is a woman of different talents and interests outside the fighting world. Of course, she is very successful in the modeling industry, and most of her earnings come from working with premium brands and magazines.

A little-known fact about her is that she is a very talented painter and has hosted several gallery shows.

Chrissy Blair

For most UFC fans, Chrissy Blair is the most beautiful blonde to set foot inside the octagon, and she is paid quite well to do so. Like other girls on the list, she makes $1,000 for match fees, $5,000 per PPV fight, and her annual income is $30,000. She also makes a lot of money from modeling and co-founded “Kalumi Beauty,” a food and nutrition company.

Rachelle Leah

Rachelle Leah is among the hottest UFC ring girls of all time. She is earning $1,000 for match fees and an additional $5,000 per fight in the events aired in a PPV format. She takes fifth place in her annual earnings, which are $20,000. But unlike other octagon girls, she also hosted the UFC All Access show aired on Spike.

Outside of the sport, Leah is a successful model, and she worked with brands such as Maxim, Playboy, and many others.

How Much Do Boxing Ring Girls Make?

On average, boxing ring girls make $60,000 annually, around the same as their colleagues from the UFC.

Boxing has many promotions and organizations. Ring girls can earn as little as a couple of hundred dollars per fight for a low-mid tier boxing match and up to over $10,000 per match for high-profile events. Overall, they do not earn much unless they participate in high-profile events.

Most of them use their minor appearances in between the rounds to get extra exposure, be noticed by modeling agencies, and attract various other opportunities through sponsorships and endorsement deals.

Since the exact ring girl earnings are only available for some boxing events, the following is a look at how much the most popular boxing ring girls made for the famous Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao match.

Ring GirlHigh profile, even salaryLow-Mid tier profile event salaryAnnual earnings
Dessie Mitcheson$10,000$2,500$250,000
Samantha Kumiko$10,000$2,500$250,000
Stephanie Ann Cook$5,000$1,500$200,000
Rachel McDonough$5,000$1,500$200,000
Kyra Keli$5,000$1,500$200,000
Tawny Jordan$5,000$1,500$200,000

Do UFC Ring Girls Get Paid More Than Fighters?

Most popular UFC ring girls’ annual incomes are higher than in most low and mid-tier fighters on the roster. Here are some practical examples.

Most popular octagon girls get $6,000 per fight for the event aired in a PPV format. Next, the UFC hosts around 12 PPV shows per year on average, with each one including between 12 and 14 matches. This means they can earn between $24,000 and $30.000 per event.

However, the girls are constantly changing; each gets to do a couple of PPV shows, but not all. The only exceptions are Arianny Celeste and Brittney Palmer, who are a part of just about every PPV show. This means they annually earn between $290.000 and $360,000. This is more than the average salary of a UFC fighter which is $148,000 per year.

Fighters, on the other side, are paid per fight. Newcomers and low-tier fighters usually get $10–15,000 to show up (base salary), + a 100% bonus if they win the match. They may also get a $50,000 post-fight bonus for a good performance.

They compete around 2–3 times per year on average, so they are paid less than ring girls. And the same stands for some medium-level fighters and even well-known ones. Some of them get up to $250,000 per fight, but if they compete once a year, they earn less than Celeste and Palmer.

To sum up, yes, most popular UFC ring girls (not all) are paid more than some UFC fighters. Whether this is morally or ethically right is open for debate, but this is how the UFC runs its business.

Do Boxing Ring Girls Get Paid More Than Fighters? 

Boxing ring girls are not paid more than the majority of professional boxers. Yes, the most popular ring girls who make $250,000 annually earn more than a journeyman boxer or a young talent just starting.

But unlike in MMA, boxing ring girls are paid less than most boxers on mid-high level events, not even close. This is because salaries in boxing are much higher, where mid-level boxers get a couple of million, while the ones at the top earn up to $100 million per match.

Who Is The Highest-Paid Ring Girl?

Arianny Celeste, the most popular UFC octagon girl, is widely recognized as the highest-paid ring girl. She makes around $6,000 per fight, and her annual income is estimated at around $1 million. This is much more than her colleague from boxing, the beautiful Dessie Mitcheson, who is known as the highest-paid ring girl with a $250,000 annual income.

However, these numbers are related only to the services these two ladies provide to the UFC and Boxing. Celeste and Mitcheson are successful models with their own brands and endorsement deals. It is almost impossible to determine their incomes and who earns more overall.

How To Become A Ring Girl

The key requirement is to be fit, pretty, and have the charisma and attitude to entertain the audience. In most cases, girls get scouted by combat sports promotions through modeling agencies.

Work hard in the gym

Being fit and physically attractive is the most critical requirement for anyone who wants to be a ring girl. Even if you have good genetics and physical attributes, you must adopt a strict training regime, dedicate yourself to it, and work hard.

However, you want to avoid developing big muscle mass and look like a female bodybuilder. No, the focus is toning the muscles, getting perfect abs, and attractive legs. On top of that, you also need to adopt a healthy diet and keep your body tight.

Find the recruiting agency

Finding a job as a ring girl on your own is very hard, and this is where modeling agencies come into play. You can still contact promotions directly through various channels, but you will unlikely get hired this way.

Instead, do some research, sign up with an agency, and tell them about your intention of becoming a ring girl. You will get registered as a model, do a lot of professional shooting, and hopefully, receive an opportunity.

Get in touch with other ring girls

Ring Girl community is huge, and you can easily find ladies working with combat sports promotions on social media networks. Most of these girls are supportive and will be happy to share advice. They might provide you with an agency specifically looking for ring girls or direct contact for the promotion. Don’t be shy. Shoot them a message, as there is nothing you can lose.

Always be ready to accept the opportunity

In the modeling world, you always need to be prepared because you never know when the last-minute opportunity will emerge. Your first gig as a ring girl will likely jump on the short-notice opportunity to replace one of the ladies at the event.

Final Thoughts on Ring Girl Salaries

Although they made short appearances between the rounds, you might be surprised to find out how many rings girls make. As in the case of fighters, their income is based on different factors, especially regarding the event’s importance.

When organizing high-profile events, promoters want to include the hottest and most popular ring girls. In most cases, these ladies are successful models who earn money outside the fighting business. Of course, they would ask for a big paycheck.

The situation goes the other way around when it comes to low and mid-profile shows. The promoters would try to cut costs and give new girls a chance in the industry. These ladies would be paid less but, on the other side, receive the opportunity to get a spotlight.

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