Ever seen this girl? Me neither, but if you're a UFC fan you soon will. Her name is Maria Melilo and according to this report, she's set to be a ring card girl at UFC 134: Rio. I'm still not clear on what credentials qualify a person for this role other than looks, but Bloody Elbow's Tom Mendes offers some background:
UFC 134 Ring Card Girl Announced: Maria Melilo
Maria Melilo will be one of the ring girls at UFC Rio, she won the eleventh edition of the Brazilian version of the reality show Big Brother. She’s the cover of June’s edition of Playboy magazine and also practices Jiu-Jitsu and Boxing and has worked as a ring girl before, so experience will not be a problem.
The UFC has experimented with using “celebrity” ring girls before, most notably Holly Madison did a stint as one at UFC 100. None of it means much in the long run, but if my experience is any indication the fans in attendance love it.
It’s also an indication, believe it or not, of how much the UFC is investing in this Brazilian effort. Changing up the ring girls may seem insignificant and in actuality it is, but it signals that UFC brass know this isn’t any ordinary show with ordinary circumstances. They’re trying to cross their Ts and dot their Is as they invest in what could become the future capital of MMA.
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