American sports broadcaster and television personality Charly Arnolt, known for her work with WWE from 2016 to 2021, now serves as an announcer for the UFC, making history as the first female octagon announcer in the organization’s history. She currently works with the multimedia platform OutKick.
Charly Arnolt Makes History as First Female UFC Announcer
Initially serving as a backup host and moderator on ESPN’s First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim, Charly Arnolt transitioned to Clay Travis’ sports, news, and politics platform, OutKick, in April 2023.
While initially slated to conduct backstage interviews with fighters, Arnolt took on a more extensive role on Saturday night. Bruce Buffer, renowned as the voice of the Octagon, typically handles fighter announcements and result announcements at UFC events.
MMA journalist Mike Bohn revealed that Charly Arnolt stepped in for Martinez after he fell ill during the event. Initially selected as the roving reporter, Arnolt handled the introduction and result announcement for the co-main event featuring Ryan Spann and Bogdan Guskov.
Since its inception, the UFC has made significant strides in women’s involvement, with Bruce Buffer and Joe Martinez traditionally handling octagon announcement duties. It remains uncertain if Arnolt will continue to be assigned such responsibilities for future events.
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