UFC ring girl Brittney Palmer is a shining example for following your dreams

MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Ring Girl Brittney Palmer is more than a pretty face.

This drop-dead gorgeous woman is a five-foot-six bundle of talent. 

Palmer, who is in her 12th year with UFC, is a tremendously talented painter, an athletic person who skis and snowboards, dances and sings very well, and has taken mixed martial arts training.

“Just to keep fit and go with the flow of being creative,” she clarified in an interview with this writer for Philstar.com. 

Palmer is an empowering role model for not only following one’s passions, but also being tremendously good at it.

“You can say that I was influenced by my parents,” she enthused. “Music was a big part of growing up. My father had a stack of CDs, and he would always play music so there was always music in the house. And that was a big driving force. He would play Jimi Hendrix so I painted Jimi Hendrix.”

Palmer said that what music she plays depends also on her painting that she is working on. “So I can feel the work even more,” she stressed.

“What is on my music rotation? It depends. It can go for Dolly Parton for my dogs, meditation music to free my mind; electronic dance music if I feel like dancing. I listen to Lana del Rey and always at some point, the Beatles are playing.”

“My mother gave me the creative space to do whatever I wanted. If I wanted to be an artist, dancer, guitar player, or an athlete, she would let me be who I was. I didn’t have to do things if I didn’t want to.”

If you follow Palmer’s social media, you will have noticed her artwork, her love for snowboarding, and her dancing. 

Regarding art, she has been chosen by Topps Cards to illustrate baseball cards featuring some of the game’s legends. She has painted cards of Yankees greats like Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez as well as other stars like Ichiro Suzuki, Dock Ellis and Ken Griffey Jr. to name but a few. 

“As a baseball and a New York Yankees fan, it is great to be a part of this because I get to express my love for baseball and these Yankees legends through art.”

“It is hard for me to hone in on one thing. I love to keep myself occupied. I think you should spread yourself around and experience all the beautiful things. I am honored and grateful that I get to do these things.”

Through her art, Palmer was named as an artist ambassador for UNICEF, for Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler’s foundation, as well as Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation.

At UFC 213 in 2018, Palmer’s art graced the shirts and caps of all the fighter of that stacked card during the weigh-in.

“I painted the weigh-in shirts for Reebok and all the fighters were wearing what I created,” beamed Palmer at the memory.  “It was a beautiful and surreal experience to be standing next to the fighters and seeing my UFC family wear them.”

“I have been with the UFC for over 10 years when you are with them that long, you become family,” said Palmer of her association with the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. “I have been with them since I was 18-19 and now I am in my mid-30s. You have a ton of big brothers (referring to the fighters) with you and you feel protected. And get interviewed by people like you, and I get a front row seat to my favorite sport.”

And this talented woman isn’t done. 

“I want to open a gallery in Las Vegas and to have my own immersive experience with my art everywhere,” she revealed of her Bucket List. “Outside my ring duties for the UFC, that is top priority right now.”

“I think that people, Filipinos as well, should follow their passions. Anyone can be good at something they want to do. I sucked at snowboarding and it took me 10 years to become good at it. So if I can be good at it, so can anyone.”

The UFC is shown in Manila through the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal, and on the TapGo streaming application. UFC All-Access is also available through TapGo.