Ring girl
Image:AriannyLopez.png|thumb|UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste indicates that the third round is about to begin.|243x243px
A ring girl is an attractive young woman hired to enter the ring between rounds of a combat sport, carrying a sign displaying the number of the next round. Ring girls are often seen in boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
History
Ring girls first appeared in a 1965 edition of Ring Magazine. The magazine published a photo of a Las Vegas model holding a sign at a boxing match. Boxing promotions soon adopted the concept of ring girls, when promoters started to hire attractive women to parade around the ring holding signs, signaling the upcoming round.In modern combat sports
Professional wrestling
In professional wrestling, ring girls are attendants who remove the entrance gear and championship belts from the ring after a wrestler takes them off before his match. Throughout the 1980s, World Wrestling Entertainment employed ring girls known as the Federettes. Since its inception in 2002, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling has featured various independent female wrestlers and valets as ring girls.During the first year of WWF Monday Night Raw, WWE featured traditional boxing-style ring girls who carried signs featuring various Raw-themed slogans in the ring between matches.
MMA
A list follows of notable ring girls who have posed for the American entertainment magazine, Playboy.| Model: | Date: | Issue: | Notes: |
| Rachelle Leah | October 2008 | Playboy | UFC ring girl |
| Arianny Celeste | November 2010 | Playboy | UFC ring girl |
| Brittney Palmer | March 2012 | Playboy | UFC ring girl |
| Victoria Elise | June 2021 | Playboy Mexico | MMA ring girl |
Controversies
Allegations of sexism
Some sports journalists claim that the use of ring girls, which first started in boxing, is unnecessary. Critics argue that half-naked women at the games provides sexual stimulation for the male audience, whereas others regard them as harmless tradition; boxing promoter Lisa Elovich describes the practice as "part of the show.""Ring boys" or "ring guys" have been proposed for women's matches. Professional boxer Mikaela Laurén said, "I want a number boy. I think that's only fair, and I'm sure it will give the women in the audience some pleasure as well."
While all-female fighting promoter Invicta FC uses ring girls, the promoter brought in UFC fighter and model Elias Theodorou to serve as a ring boy at Invicta FC 28. Theodorou received criticism, however, for using the occasion to promote sponsors.