Sophie Cunningham’s secret message to Dana White before appearing as ring girl at UFC 329 revealed

Sophie Cunningham swapped the basketball court for the Octagon on Saturday night.

The WNBA star appeared as a ring girl during the co-main event between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329.

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Dressed in an all-black outfit, the Indiana Fever star drew raucous reactions from the crowd at the T-Mobile Arena.

After proceedings had ended, Dana White was asked to provide the backstory behind Cunningham’s surprise appearance

“Erm… about eight minutes before she did it,” the UFC CEO responded upon being asked when she was hired.

“I love Sophie Cunningham man, we have created a relationship and she was here tonight.

“When she walked in she goes, ‘Oh I want to walk around that [Octagon].

“I said, ‘Then, you’re going to walk around it.’ She is fun.”

Cunningham was in Las Vegas ahead of the Fever’s road game against the Aces on Sunday.

Indiana is currently 13-9 — the best record in the Eastern Conference and the fifth-best record overall.

Cinningham’s appearance caught the attention of WNBA fans, with some poking fun about her potential availability for tomorrow’s game.

“Sophie Cunningham — questionable. Somehow, she will be in trouble for the game tomorrow,” one fan commented.

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“Please make Sophie the new ring girl whenever she wants to,” a second posted.

“Nobody has more side quests than WNBA players in season,” a third added.

She would make just one trip around the Octagon, with Pimblett putting Saint Denis to sleep just 52 seconds into the fight.

Pimblett was returning to action for the first time since suffering his first UFC defeat to current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje in January.

The event itself was headlined by the return of Connor McGregor who stepped back into the Octagon after five years, facing Max Holloway.

McGregor’s night was short lived as he suffered a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury, ending his return in just 69 seconds.

It was another unfortunate moment for the Irishman, having broken his leg against Dustin Poirier almost five-years to the date, which contributed to his lengthy hiatus.

UFC Meta Rankings

The UFC ranking system is ever-evolving and is now more different than ever.

Right up until the summer of 2026, the UFC used its official rankings based on media votes.

However, as of June 22, 2026, the UFC began transitioning away from the traditional media panel to new AI-based rankings in partnership with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.

The new rankings will be automatically calculated and updated every Monday following official events.

And talkSPORT.com have made it easy for MMA fans to stay up to date with the new system through a full and regularly updated UFC Meta Rankings list, including stars from the heavyweight and lightweight divisions.