Cunningham walked around the Octagon holding the round number to start Paddy Pimblett vs. Benoit Saint Denis
LAS VEGAS — Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson wasn’t the only American athlete making his Octagon debut at UFC 329. Before Saturday’s co-main event, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham debuted as a guest Octagon girl.
One of the WNBA’s most popular stars showed up in Las Vegas on the eve of UFC’s biggest star, Conor McGregor, returning. Cunningham subbed in as an Octagon girl, introducing Round 1 of the fight between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis. It ended up being the only round of the fight as Pimblett choked Saint Denis unconscious in under one minute.
UFC CEO Dana White was asked about Cunningham’s inclusion in the broadcast. He claimed it was a spontaneous decision that happened about “eight minutes” before Cunningham stepped into the Octagon.
“We’ve created a relationship, and she was here tonight,” White told reporters at the UFC 329 post-fight press conference. “When she walked in, she goes, ‘Oh, I wanna walk around that.’ I said, ‘Then you’re gonna walk around it.”
Cunningham and the Fever play a road game against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. The Fever enter with a 13-9 record, the best in the Eastern Conference. Cunningham has become one of the most popular players in the league as she teams with Caitlin Clark.
