Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham took a detour from her WNBA season to make a surprise appearance as a UFC Octagon girl at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Cunningham, who was seated ringside, decided to step into the Octagon before the co-main event between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis.
UFC CEO Dana White stated that the impromptu appearance came together approximately eight minutes before Cunningham walked out. The 6-foot-1 WNBA player grabbed the Round 1 card, removed her shoes, and completed a lap around the Octagon wearing a black tank top and shorts. She also performed the finger-pointing gesture that has become a popular meme. The event took place at the T-Mobile Arena.
Cunningham appeared to enjoy the brief change of pace, smiling, posing for cameras, and pointing toward celebrity row. White commented on her appearance, noting, "I love Sophie Cunningham. Yeah, she’s fun."
Her appearance at UFC 329 comes as Cunningham has become a prominent figure in the WNBA, partly due to her role as an enforcer for Caitlin Clark. A recent confrontation between Cunningham and DeWanna Bonner during a WNBA game also generated significant attention and became a widely shared meme. Cunningham is also set to release her own Adidas Crazy Energy player-exclusive shoe on July 24.
Following her UFC appearance, Cunningham was scheduled to return to her WNBA duties later that evening for the Indiana Fever's game against the Las Vegas Aces.