After last week’s UFC press conference in Rio de Janeiro, I recorded an exclusive interview with Dana White for the Brazilian channel Premiere Combate. In the interview, the UFC president said that the promotion may use a local Octagon girl for the first time ever for next August’s “UFC Rio” event.
The comment was published today in Brazil’s second-largest newspaper, O Globo, sparking many pages of discussion on Portuguese-language MMA forums. If White were to consider the input of Brazilian fans, the local Octagon girl would already be chosen: Juliana Salimeni.
Named the “Sexiest Woman in the World” by Brazil’s VIP Magazine, Salimeni -- or “Juju,” as she’s known to fans -- gained notoriety in Brazil as a dancer on the famous television program “Panico na TV.” (Imagine a Brazilian version of “Jackass.”) Thanks to the tremendous popularity of the Sunday program, Salimeni’s issue of Playboy became a nationwide best seller.
Unbeknownst to some, Salimeni was first discovered as a ring girl for Mo Team League, a Brazilian version of the International Fight League which ran for just three shows in 2007.
Brazilian fans’ second choice appears to be Salimeni’s partner on “Panico,” Barbara Rossi.