Caitlin Clark gives honest verdict on Sophie Cunningham's UFC cameo
Caitlin Clark gives honest verdict on Sophie Cunningham's UFC cameo
Sahil KurupMon, July 13, 2026 at 4:34 PM UTC
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Sophie Cunningham has become one of Caitlin Clark's closest teammates -Credit:Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images
Caitlin Clark has weighed in on teammate Sophie Cunningham's surprise turn as a UFC ring girl over the weekend, admitting she didn't actually watch the moment unfold live and had no idea it was coming.
Cunningham made a spontaneous appearance at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday, serving as the Round 1 card girl for the co-main event between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis, in which Pimblett rendered Saint Denis unconscious with a choke in less than 60 seconds.
The moment drew widespread reaction online, some of it critical, given Cunningham's association with UFC's close ties to United States President Donald Trump and the assumptions many fans have made about her politics.
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Asked about her teammate's viral moment, Clark admitted she hadn't actually seen it happen in real time.
"Yeah, it's obviously really cool," Clark said. "I honestly wasn't watching the fights. I was trying to follow the best I could on my phone. I don't even know if I have Paramount Plus. I probably don't subscribe to that. So I don't know. I wasn't going to pay for another subscription."
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Clark added that Cunningham hadn't given her any advance notice about the plan, and suggested her teammate herself may not have known ahead of time either.
"Sophie didn't tell me she was doing that. I knew she was going to the fight, but I didn't know she was doing that. I don't know if she even knew she was doing that when she walked in the door. But it was still fun to see," she said.
According to UFC president Dana White, Cunningham's involvement came together just minutes before she stepped into the octagon.
"We have created a relationship, and she was here tonight," White said. "When she walked in, she goes, 'Oh, I want to walk around that.' I said, 'Then, you're going to walk around it.' She is fun."
Cunningham is one of the WNBA's most popular stars -Credit:Getty Images
Despite missing the moment live, Clark said she appreciated the attention it brought to the WNBA and its players. "Obviously, it's cool that people love it and shows like people are really paying attention to the WNBA and players that we have and the personalities we have across this league," Clark said. "It's certainly fun. Maybe we'll see her do more of it. Who knows? Maybe she'll be a UFC fighter at one point. I don't know. That's up to Sophie."
For her part, Cunningham described the experience as one born out of a growing friendship with White, saying she jokingly offered to help out as a ring girl if needed, only for White to take her up on it on the spot.
She also framed the appearance as part of a broader trend of WNBA players finding new platforms and opportunities off the court. "I think that's part of where the WNBA is at," Cunningham said. "People want us to be involved and are giving us those opportunities to be involved."
Cunningham backed up her growing off-court profile with strong on-court production as well, coming off the bench to score 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including six three-pointers, as the Fever routed the Las Vegas Aces 109-75 on Sunday. Clark contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win, while Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 27 points.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
