Retired ring girl Arianny Celeste recently shared her insights into her unexpected conflict with Ronda Rousey, and the pivotal role UFC President Dana White played in managing the situation.
Celeste who amassed considerable wealth during her tenure at UFC until her departure last year. She found herself embroiled in an unexpected dispute with Ronda Rousey nine years ago.
In February 2015, Rousey ignited controversy by advocating for increased pay for contenders. However, she did it so by comparing the pay with ring girls, questioning the disparity in compensation.
Rousey said in 2015: “I think that they should get paid more than the ring girls. And I don’t know if the ring girls get paid too much or the fighters don’t get paid enough. But yeah. There’s definitely a lot more in what the fighters do than what they do. So, I think that’s one thing that’s unfair.”
However, this wasn’t the first instance of Rousey targeting Celeste. In 2012, both personalities were featured on Maxim’s “Hot 100” list which rates famous women according to their physical appeal.
Rousey humorously remarked on Celeste’s ranking by stating: “It would have been really funny if I’d beaten Arianny Celeste. Like, ‘Ha-ha, it’s your job to show your t**ies [and] I do that better than you.”
Responding to Rousey’s remarks, Celeste labeled her as a ‘big bully’. By doing this, she ignited a verbal feud that became personal and is being discussed in the MMA world over ten years later.
In a recent interview, Celeste revisited her UFC journey and talked about her feud with Rousey. Despite the animosity, Celeste maintained her composure. She ended up largely avoiding her direct confrontation with Rousey.
She said: “I never talked to her. I kind of just avoided the whole situation just because I didn’t even know her.”
“For me, it was understandable a little bit, though, because she’s a fighter. I’m a ring girl at the time. I believe I was the female face of the UFC, and here comes this amazing athlete, but she’s like, ‘Who are you? You’re the face of the UFC. No, no, no – I’m going to be.’”
“So, I get it. It’s like a competitive thing, but I think the way she handled herself was not cool. If I feel like she’s a little bit more aggressive in nature, to each their own. She didn’t make me sweat at all. I was perfectly fine. I just ignored the situation.”
Celeste credited Dana White for offering invaluable support during the tumultuous period. White’s counsel helped Celeste navigate through the ordeal, providing reassurance and perspective amidst the unexpected hostility.
“I’m pretty peaceful unless you mess with me. I definitely did call Dana. I was like, ‘What do I do about this?’ and he was able to calm me down because it didn’t affect me, but it did bother me.”
“I’m like, ‘Hey, I don’t even know this person. What should I do? Why is she being like this?’ After thinking about it letting it fizzle, I kind of got her perspective a little bit more.”