Sophie Cunningham’s UFC move draws honest admission from Dana White

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham has been keeping busy with her off-court activities.

Apart from being a key player for the Fever this season, the 6-foot-1 guard also has a lot going on away from the team. Cunningham recently made her debut as a part-time analyst for USA Network’s WNBA coverage. On top of that, it was announced on Friday that the 29-year-old is launching her first Player Exclusive (PE) shoe with Adidas later this month.

Cunningham has now added UFC ring girl to her ever-growing resume. This is after the Fever guard stole the spotlight at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Cunningham walked around the ring holding the round card during the co-main event between Paddy Pimblet and Benoit Saint Denis. Unsurprisingly, her latest move immediately went viral.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) celebrates a 3-pointer.

Dana White comments on Sophie Cunningham’s UFC 329 appearance

UFC CEO and President Dana White was asked about Cunningham’s surprise appearance. White shed light on why there was no prior notice about Cunningham’s new role with the UFC. As it turns out, nobody knew about it because it wasn’t planned in advance.

White admitted that she hired Cunningham “about eight minutes before she did it.”

“I love Sophie Cunningham, we’ve created a relationship, and she was here tonight,” the 56-year-old MMA icon said. “And when she walked in, she goes, ‘Oh, I want to walk around that.’ I said, ‘Then you’re going to walk around it.’ Yeah, she’s fun.”

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Cunningham was in Vegas over the weekend for the Fever’s road matchup against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. She decided to catch some MMA action the previous night, and it resulted in a truly memorable experience for her and UFC fans alike.

Cunningham followed up her UFC debut with a big night on the court against the Aces on Sunday. She helped lead the Fever to a 109-75 blowout win with 20 points off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting. Cunningham caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down six triples in 23 minutes of action.

The Fever improved to 14-9 as they closed out their four-game road trip with a big win against the reigning champions.