THEY’RE used to duking it out in the ring, but some of these MMA champs are winning outside of it too.
In a new BBC One documentary, Natalie Ray, who is married to Scottish cage fighter Stevie ‘Braveheart Ray, opens up about being the wife of of a professional MMA fighter.
The couple, who have been together for 13 years, were shadowed by TV cameras for My Husband the MMA Fighter as Stevie attempted to become Scotland’s first Mixed Martial Arts world champion at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
And from childhood loves to romances with ring girls, the former UFC star’s rivals – from past and present – have all found their perfect partners in different ways.
Rena Lesnar, 55, is the stunning wife of Brock Lesnar, 45, one of the most decorated stars in combat sports.
While Brock continues to dominate as a WWE superstar, Rena has had an extremely impressive career of her own – she is a retired professional wrestler who worked with WWE under the ring name Sable.
She gained huge popularity during the Attitude Era and is considered one of the most influential women to have ever graced the sport.
Rena is a former women’s champion and has been on the cover of Playboy on three occasions – twice solo and another one with fellow WWE wrestler Torrie Wilson.
This is Rena’s third marriage – her first ended after her husband died in a drink driving incident in 1991, while her second to former wrestler Marc Mero ended in divorce in 2004.
Amber Nichole Miller, 45, is the wife of former Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz, having met while she was working as a ring girl for UFC.
She started modelling at the age of five and was asked to be part of the sport after UFC’s owners at the time, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, asked her to join.
Soon after, she caught the attention of Tito, 48, and began a relationship with the fighter in 2014.
On how they connected, Amber once said: “I saw at a point that a mutual friend retweeted a post of his about being lonely and that it was hard to be a single dad and I reached out to him about the whole situation. He confided in me and we started talking a lot.”
Sofia has known Robert Whittaker for over a decade now and has been by his side throughout the ups and downs of his career.
The Australian has not spoken much about how she met her beau but it is believed they started dating in 2011, got engaged in 2013, and tied the knot a year later.
They have four kids together – boys John, Jack, Jace, and a girl named Lilliana.
On her Instagram, she regularly posts snaps of her family having fun.
Sofia is a fitness junkie, having worked in a number of gyms while still attending university.
She keeps her 19,500 followers updated on her fitness journey by posting work-out related content on a regular basis.
Hardcore UFC fans will remember Kristie Pearson for her long association with the company, where she served as a ring girl.
Aside from that, she has also had a stint as a reality TV star and was on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, a show produced by UFC, where she met her husband Ross Pearson.
The 33-year-old is a fitness enthusiast and has graced the covers of magazines such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health and UFC’s magazine.
But she’s not just a pretty face – before becoming a model, Kristie obtained a degree in Design and Communication.
She married Ross in 2014 and moved to Australia, where they live with their daughter.
Although she prefers to keep a low profile, Dayane’s husband Anderson Silva, who many say is the greatest MMA fighter of all time is constantly in the spotlight.
She has been married to her man for more than a decade and has three sons and two daughters with him.
On Instagram, the 46-year-old regularly posts pictures of her husband and shows off her kids’ achievements and milestones.
In her native country, she is known for her impeccable style and can often be seen striking a fierce pose on Instagram.
Mindy Robinson is not just a WAG – she is also a reality TV star, model, and actress, having appeared in numerous TV shows and films, including Sharknado 4.
The 43-year-old is the long-term partner of Randy Couture and has even tried to run for elected office.
In 2020, the Republican ran in the primaries for Nevada’s 3rd congressional district and finished in third place.
She has a controversial reputation in the United States and has been criticised for promoting conspiracy theory movements such as QAnon.
Ana is married to Henry Cejudo, one of the greatest stars in the history of combat sports.
After his retirement in 2020, the pair started dating, although their relationship was kept under wraps for a lengthy period.
The 27-year-old Brazillian began a modelling career after getting a degree in Environmental Management.
According to reports, the pair met during the latter stages of Henry’s career after being introduced by a mutual friend.
He proposed to her at a private party in June 2021 and announced three months later that they had gotten married.
They share a daughter together called America Maria Cejudo, who was born in November 2021. In April this year, they revealed that there were expecting their second child together.
