Home

UFC

“Big Bully” Ronda Rousey Once Gave Her Honest Opinion of UFC Ring Card Girls Amid a Beef With Arianny Celeste

Published 08/09/2022, 11:00 AM EDT

Follow Us

via Getty

UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey had battles with multiple opponents inside the Octagon. The 6-time UFC women’s champion used trash talk to great effect to get into the heads of her opponents. In addition, she used her brash talk to target a non-fighter, who was an integral part of the UFC for almost two decades and that was the ring card girl, chiefly, the millionaire Octagon girl – Arianny Celeste. What was the reason behind it?

The Olympian Judoka became the first female fighter to receive a Zuffa contract. The promotion also kept her champion status from Strikeforce. Besides, her debut was a PPV headliner. Thus, she was a bankable star and perhaps her pay was decent.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, other athletes who were making their debut in the promotion were getting around $8,000 for a fight. This perhaps promoted the women’s pioneer to speak about the fighters’ pay issue. But she targeted her words towards the pay scale of the Octagon girls compared to some fighters. This led to Arianny Celeste, marking Ronda Rousey as a bully.

And when a reporter asked The Arm Collector about Celeste’s comment, she said, “What did I say that was Bully? I said that the fighters should get paid more than the ring girls… That doesn’t make me a bully, that makes me f***ing right… She wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the fighters.”

The then-bantamweight champion Rousey submitted she didn’t point out anyone specific. But Celeste, who currently earns $1 million per year from the UFC, had words to say about Rousey’s remark.

via Getty

Yet Rousey advised Celeste to back her comments, as the champion wasn’t asking for a pay cut for ring card girls, but more money for fighters.

What did Arianny Celeste say about Ronda Rousey?

Rousey’s comment came after Octagon girl, Arianny Celeste, who is still working with the UFC, called Rousey a ‘big bully’. In an interview with MMAjunkie Radio, Celeste said, “It blows my mind that someone [Ronda Rousey] who doesn’t even know me continuously picks on me. And that’s all I see her as a big bully.”

Ronda Rousey’s Rare Picture of ‘Crying on the Floor’ Is the Best Thing You’ll See on the Internet

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Rousey was the bantamweight champion and Celeste was one of the veteran Octagon girls. Both of them had heat towards each other.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

via Imago

But, their conflict went under the radar with time as Rousey left the promotion not too long ago and joined WWE. In wrestling also, Rowdy Ronda kept her heel persona, which led her to the SmackDown women’s championship and RAW women’s championship.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY – Ronda Rousey vs. Serena Williams Net Worth Comparison: The WTA Queen Is $200 million Away

What do you make of Ronda Rousey’s words to Arianny Celeste? Share your words in the comments section.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Deepak Kumar

1,085Articles

One take at a time

Deepak Kumar is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. His love for MMA comes from the chaos and violence the fight game brings to the table. A BJJ aspirant, Deepak began following the sport as a casual fan when Ronda Rousey was finishing her opponents in seconds.
Show More>

Edited by:

Paras Pande