Exclusive Interview: UFC Octagon Girl Logan Stanton

         
(Images courtesy of IZON Models, Fightlinker, and MMAFightGirls.)

If you watched UFC 92 last month, you might have noticed someone new cruising around the cage. That petite brunette with the thousand-watt smile is Logan Stanton, a 20-year-old model from Niceville, Florida, who, contrary to Internet rumors, is not at all related to Arianny Celeste. She is, however, a longtime UFC fan and self-described “dork” who likes to scarf chocolate and play with beads. We gave Logan a ring before she flew off to Dublin for Saturday’s fights, and got the inside story on how she got the gig, what Octagon Girls do when they’re not on camera, and lots more…

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CAGEPOTATO.COM: So first things first — Is Logan Stanton your real name?
LOGAN STANTON: Yeah. My sister named me. My parents thought I was going to be boy, and they just liked the name so well that they kept it for me. But I like it — it goes with my personality because I’m not a girly-girl, I’m kind of a tomboy.

How long have you been modeling?
My mom was pushing me to do this since I was about nine, but I’d never had any real interest until I turned 18. I decided I needed to get out of Niceville and do my own thing for a bit, so I came to Miami and was picked up by an agency. I’ve been down here modeling full-time since last January, going back and forth between Miami and L.A.

UFC fans have been buzzing about you ever since you made your Octagon Girl debut last month. How did you wind up getting hired by the UFC?
It was probably the most random thing that’s ever happened to me. The agency called me last month and told me to come by the office, and they were like “Have you ever heard of something called the UFC?” I said, “Are you kidding me, of course I’ve heard of it, I’ve been watching it forever.” I didn’t understand why, but the UFC wanted to meet with me, so they flew me out to Vegas, and I met with [UFC VP] Craig [Borsari] and Dana [White]. I told them, “honestly, I don’t know why I’m here — I don’t have big boobs, I’m not blonde,” and they said that’s not what they were looking for at all.

Then they explained to me what an Octagon Girl does. I’ve always watched the shows, and I’ve been dying to go to one ever since I started following it. It just sounded like a very cool opportunity. They said there was a fight [later that month], and if I was ready to go I could do that one. I needed a few days to let it sink in, so I went home for Christmas, and my friends and family got me all hyped up about it.

Is this going to be an ongoing gig, or did you only sign up for a certain amount of appearances?
Hopefully ongoing. I haven’t signed anything yet, so it’s hard to say. But I guess until I trip or something I’m here to stay. [laughs]

You were in front of an audience of over 14,000 people at UFC 92, with over a million more people watching at home. How did you deal with the nerves?

I’ve never been good at getting up in front of people. When I had to give presentations at school, I was always terrified — you know, when your heart starts beating really fast and you can’t get any words out? So I was freaking out for a couple weeks leading up to the event. Then Leslie took me into the arena and I saw everything, and it wasn’t as big and scary as I thought it would be, and I somehow got over my nerves. I wasn’t nervous at all — I just had a blast with it. I was really comfortable.

Obviously, we never get to see what the Octagon Girls are doing during the fights. What do you do when you’re not holding a card? Did you and Arianny just talk the whole time, or do you just kind of sit there doing nothing?
Well, me and Arianny have our seats on the side of the ring, and we talked to fans for a bit, and stopped by to see people that Arianny knew in the audience. But a lot of the time I was texting my parents and my boyfriend, and taking pictures on my phone — I know that sounds cheesy but I was really excited to see all the fighters. Other than that, we just hung out and watched the fights.

Did Arianny give you any good advice about how to handle yourself as a ring girl?
She just said to be yourself, and not take anything that people say too seriously. That’s about it. I got more advice from Leslie, who walked me through everything before the event started, and told me how to hold the cards and who to watch out for — the photographers, cameramen, stepping over wires. There’s a lot of people on the side of the ring that you never see.

Are the fans respectful for the most part, or did you hear any crude comments from the guys there?
They were respectful. I mean, there were a lot of cheers and people would shout out things every now and then. One guy yelled “take it off!” at one point, and I got thrown off by that, but I wasn’t offended or anything. Everyone was really nice, and after the fights I got so many e-mails supporting me and congratulating me. So, I haven’t heard anything yet that breaks my heart.

What did you do after the event was over? Were there afterparties to go to, or did you just go back to your hotel?
There were afterparties — Arianny had hers, and a few of the fighters had theirs — but I went back to my hotel room. I had to be up at 3 o’clock to catch my flight the next morning, so I got like two-and-a-half, three hours of sleep. I like to go out, but I know my limitations. And I’m only 20! [laughs] So I stayed in instead of dealing with all of that. Kind of dorky.

Speaking of which, your page on UFC.com says you’re “a big dork and always have craft projects going on.” What was the last thing you made?
I made a bracelet the other day. I’ve been into the whole jewelry-making thing lately. I have a lot of friends who make jewelry and are very creative, so I was inspired to try it myself. I went to this bead store nearby, bought a bunch of beads and sat here for like three or four hours in my apartment working away at it while everyone else was at the beach. But I like to have alone time, and I like to have days to myself where I can do dorky things like that. Anything that can keep me entertained.

Also, under favorite foods, it says “Chocolate!”, with an exclamation mark and everything. How deep does your obsession go?
It’s actually ridiculous. I eat it as soon as I wake up in the morning. I probably have a cup of hot chocolate every night. I have chocolate ice cream in my fridge right now. My favorite thing is chocolate-covered peanuts. I actually eat around the peanut, and just eat the chocolate.

Well that’s all I have for you, Logan, so good luck on Saturday and thanks so much for talking with us. Is there anybody you want to thank or shout out before we sign off?
My parents and my sister, obviously. My boyfriend, and all my friends from Niceville, Miami, and L.A. And everyone from the UFC who’s taken me on board with them!

(BG)