Dana White Responds to Calls to Ban Octagon Girls Ahead of UFC 243, Says ‘It’s Ridiculous’

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, UFC President Dana White responded to calls by UFC politicians to ban the longtime practice of ring card girls or Octagon Girls for their events. Politicians reportedly tried pressure UFC end the practice Octagon Girls before UFC 243, which is scheduled for October 6 in Melbourne, Australia.

A spokesperson for Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, reportedly stated, “The Grand Prix did the right thing in ending the use of grid girls and we encourage other events to make similar moves.”

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp also opposed the use of Octagon Girls, stating, “It’s 2019, do we really still need scantily clad women to wander around the middle of a fighting ring between rounds? 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.”

Speaking on the matter, Dana White told the Telegraph, “Our Octagon Girls, they’re as much a part of the UFC brand as anyone, they’re ambassadors for our sport. 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.”

White added that women are not treated better than anywhere else in the UFC. He added, “So you can look at any sport you like, nobody treats women better than we do. 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.”

White continued, “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 is scheduled for Saturday, October 5. The event will be held at the 56,000-seat Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The event will be headlined by a middleweight title unification bout with middleweight champion Robert Whittaker facing interim champion Israel Adesanya.