At boxing matches in the 30’s and 40’s, a man in a suit or young boys would carry the cards showing the round number. Given the primitive sound systems, it was simply a way to let the crown know what round it was.
Then in the May 1965 issue of Ring Magazine, a photo appeared, taken at Hacienda Casino, in – naturally – Las Vegas. A young woman in a revealing outfit is standing in the ring, holding a round card over her head.
“If something like this caught on around the country, gate receipts automatically would fatten,” read the caption.
It did.
Now the idea of a model in a bikini, cocktail dress, or gown between rounds is standard in combat sports.
In 1964, one year before the first ring card girl appeared in Ring, Sports Illustrated debuted their swimsuit issue, with Babette March on the cover.
Here she is.
In 1979, SI debuted their first ever photoshoot with Rebecca Romijn.
The Fort Lauderdale based Championship Fighting Alliance decided to combined trends, and the CFA ring card girls traded their birthday suit for their favorite superhero body paint.
Speaking frankly, to some people, the existence of ring card girls is unacceptable, and promotes the harmful and dehumanizing concept that women are a product for male consumption.
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey famously criticized UFC ring card girl Arianny Celeste.
“There’s a reason why the ring girls aren’t asked to star in movies,” said Rousey. “And it’s because they’re pretty but talentless.”
When both Rousey and Celeste were in the Maxim Hot 100, Rousey again commented pointedly.
“It would have been really funny if I’d beaten Arianny Celeste,” said Rousey. “Because that would be like a triathlete coming along and beating the runners in a marathon. Like, ‘Ha-ha, it’s your job to show your titties—I do that better than you!’ Maybe next year.”
Celeste eventually responded.
I don’t think she’s a good role model for women,” said Celeste. “I think that women should empower each other and give each other a little pat on the back.
Celeste also accused Rousey of bullying. Rousey was not impressed.
“What did I say that was a bully?” Rousey said. “That the fighters should get paid more than the ring girls? How does that make me a bully? That makes me f—ing right. I’m sorry, but she wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the fighters. She wouldn’t. You think her walking in circles around the two guys or two girls out there fighting for their lives is worth more?”
Sex is okay, it is imbued in everything we do. The nearly nude male bodies clashing in MMA provide abundant fodder for romance novels, and are compelling for many female and gay fans. There is nothing wrong with that.
On the other hand, sexism is not okay. Sexism is prejudice, stereotyping, and/or discrimination on the basis of sex. it is most typically directed at women or the trans population.
So what happens here is in the eye of the beholder. If you are a male, look at this gallery and video, and think less of women for it, then you have a problem. You in fact are a problem.
If you look at this gallery and video and see attractive women, who are ferociously dedicated to MMA (after the ref, ring card girls get the best seat in the house), and who own their own sexuality, then, hopefully, you are enjoying yourself, as they do when they work as ring card girls.
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Championship Fighting Alliance (CFA) is a Florida-based fight promotion working to raise awareness of Martial Arts. Over the years, MMA has moved from an emerging spectacle to a mainstream sport. MMA is breaking all stereotypes with its fan base, and is quickly being embraced by a much larger and more diverse audience.
Owner Jorge De la Noval became aware of his love for martial arts as a young boy in Cuba, where he was joined a local karate school. He arrived to the USA in 1994, and within two years was a national champion. Jorge’s passion and devotion for the sport drove him to the development of new skills, and the opportunity to compete in a different arena, where other fighting techniques would be incorporated.
Due to a heart condition, Jorge had to abandon mixed martial arts with a record of 2-0. His resilience allowed him to see the future, and in 2008 he held his first event, at theAmerican Airlines Arena in Miami, in front of 3,600 wildly enthusiastic fans.
Dr. Lazaro Fernandez, a well known and respected dentist partnered with De La Noval, and the pair committed themselves in taking CFA to reach a new peak of popularity.
