Road FC ring girls, from left, Lee A-rin, Kim Ha-yul, Park Si-hyun and Ju Da-ha, pose for a photo in July in Seoul. The four said they want to increase the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts in Korea as “The Octagon girls” did in the United States. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Jung Min-ho
It may be the beauty-and-the-beast role-playing psychology that draws fans to the brutal sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), making it one of the fastest-growing sports.
Muscled men with crew cuts and gloves that only cover their knuckles play the beasts. The biggest MMA promoter, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has ranked No. 1 in pay-per-view revenue across the world over the past few years.
The beauties, often scantily clad, show the next round with a big sign above their heads. They are “Octagon girls” named after the shape of the ring where the combat martial artists fight.
Park Si-hyun, Lee A-rin, Ju Da-ha and Kim Ha-yul ― four Road FC octagon girls ― are not just pretty faces but part of a sophisticated sports machine that generate a great deal of revenue.
“I believe the name Road FC has become my brand. Many people instantly recall Arianny Celeste when they think about UFC, and I want to be the name people instantly associate with Road FC,” Ju, 26, said. “I want to be successful as a promoter of both the organization and MMA.”
In the arena filled with yelling fans and tough guys, it takes some nerve to take over the ring during breaks. Lee, 26, said she was too frightened to even be around the ring when she started the job a couple of years ago.
“At the beginning of my career at Road FC, I really didn’t expect that I would enjoy the MMA matches as much as I do now,” she said. “Soon after, however, I found myself engrossed in the exciting fights in the ring, making bets on who would win.”
Lee said changes also have been occurring in the audience demographics over the past couple of years.
“I see far more female fans nowadays and their reactions have become much more intense,” she said. “I guess they have finally realized how much fun the sport actually is.”
As the old saying goes, nothing good comes easy. Working as a ring girl actually takes much more than just walking around with a big sign.
“The toughest thing of this job is probably that you always have to give the best smile in the ring regardless of your personal life and feelings at that moment,” Kim, 26, said. “As a model, we also have to take care of our bodies to stay fit. For some people, it is for health, but for us, it is for our profession.”
When asked about what it takes to be good ring girls, Park said it is important to know how to attract people’s attention and have determination in your work, saying that she is proud to be part of the “Road FC girl family.”
“I have been offered work in show business many times and I was really serious about doing it for a while. But, now, I’m pretty sure this is what I want to do,” Park said. x mj6c2@koreatimes.co.kr
관련 한글 기사
로드FC 라운드걸 넷. UFC의 영광을 꿈꾸다
어쩌면 피가 튀는 이종격투기 경기장으로 사람들을 끌어 모으는 것은 비단 경기장 안의 선수들을 보고 싶은 심리만은 아닐지도 모른다. “라운드걸” 이라고 불리는 경기장 밖의 미녀들 역시 현재 종합 격투기를 전세계에서 가장 빠르게 성장하는 스포츠 중 하나로 만드는데 크게 기여했다는 데에 이견을 다는 사람은 적다.
로드 FC의 라운드걸 박시현, 이아린, 주다하, 김하율은 현재 전세계 종합 격투기의 최고 무대인 UFC의 영광을 한국에서도 재현하고 싶다는 당찬 포부를 밝혔다.
이아린 양은 “과거의 UFC를 현재의 거대한 종합 격투기 무대로 만드는 데는, 링 밖에서 라운드걸 들이 감초와 같은 큰 역할을 했다고 생각한다. UFC하면 많은 이들이, 아리아니를 떠올리듯, 사람들이 로드 FC를 생각할 때 자연스럽게 이름이 생각나는 그런 존재가 되고 싶다”고 말했다.
불과 지난 몇 년에 걸쳐, 로드 FC 경기장에는 남성 관객들 못지 않게 많은 여성 관객들이 찾아와 종합 격투기가 오직 남자들만 즐기는 스포츠라는 통념이 근래에는 흔들리고 있다. 박시현양도 처음 링 위에 섰을 때와는 많이 달라진 관중들의 호응과 늘어난 여성관객들에 대해서 “많은 변화가 일어 짧은 시간 동안 일어났다”며, 앞으로 더 많은 여성관객이 찾아올 것 같다는 조심스러운 예상도 덧붙였다.
네 명의 “로드걸 패밀리”라고 자칭하는 이들은 더 높은 곳을 향해 달려가는 종합 격투기를 “많은 팬들이 싸움이 아닌 스포츠로 받아 주었으면 싶다”라는 메시지를 인터뷰 끝자락에 남겼다.
