"Do we really still need scantily clad women" - When Israel Adesanya's first shot at UFC gold was plagued with a proposed ban on octagon girls

A controversy surrounding UFC ring girls unexpectedly almost impacted Israel Adesanya's first-ever championship fight.

Israel Adesanya became the undisputed UFC middleweight champion for the first time in October 2019 at UFC 243, knocking out Robert Whittaker in the second round. Thus began the Kiwi-Nigerian's dominant reign in the 185 lbs. division that wasn't broken till Alex Pereira's signature hands landed flush on his face at UFC 281.

While Israel Adesanya pulled off a perfect display, with a Performance of the Night bonus as the icing on the cake, the card itself got involved in a bit of controversy surrounding octagon girls.

The event, which took place in Melbourne's iconic Marvel Stadium, drew one of the biggest crowds in UFC history with a massive gate of 57,127 attendees. However, before the event took place, there were some complaints about UFC featuring ring girls in their usual two-piece attire.

Melbourne's Lord Mayor Sally Capp told Herald Sun that the premier MMA organization should move on from the practice.

"It’s 2019, do we really still need scantily clad women to wander around the middle of a fighting ring between rounds? Grid girls are no longer part of Formula One, walk-on girls are no longer part of professional darts – surely it’s time to move on."

Capp's comments came in light of the 2018 Melbourne Grand Prix ditching the tradition of grid girls, who used to stand behind the cars at the starting line holding cards with the drivers' names.

On the weekend before UFC 243, a boxing match between Jeff Horn and Michael Zerafa in Victoria also saw ring girls getting banned after local councilors and women's rights groups protested. Instead, the event had 'Fight Progress Managers' - men in shirts and trousers - performing the pre-fight and in-between-rounds duties.

However, UFC 243 went ahead as usual, with ring girls in their regular outfits.

Israel Adesanya is back in Australia next weekend to defend his belt against Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

---

Dana White's response to call for UFC ring girls ban ahead of Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker

Dana White is known for being incredibly steadfast in his decisions. Even if there are dilemmas behind the scenes, the UFC president always maintains a strong stance in front of the media.

Following Mayor Capp's comments ahead of Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker, White made it very clear that the promotion would not axe octagon girls for any moral high ground.

Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, the UFC chief said:

"Our Octagon girls, they’re as much a part of the UFC brand as anyone, they’re ambassadors for our sport. So for someone who has absolutely no education whatsoever about who these girls are, about what they do, what they mean to the UFC, to start going off, it’s ridiculous."

White also claimed that no other sporting organization treated women better than the UFC. He hinted that the octagon girls were making a good amount of money at this job.