Arianny Celeste (born Penelope López Márquez on November 12, 1985) () is a former American ring girl and model. She was also a co-host on the automotive reality television series Overhaulin' and has been featured in Playboy magazine.
Early life Celeste was born on November 12, 1985, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is of Mexican and Filipino descent. "Arianny" is a nickname she was given as a child. She attended Eldorado High School and attended college at UNLV, where she majored in fitness management and nutrition.
Career
As ring girl Celeste made her UFC debut in 2006 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada.
She was voted "2006 Ring Girl of the Year" by Fighter's Only Magazine.
In 2008, at the first World MMA Awards, Celeste was voted "2008 Ring Girl of the Year".World MMA Awards
In 2009, she won her second consecutive title at the 2nd World MMA Awards as Celeste become the "2009 Ring Girl of the Year".
In 2010, Celeste became the World MMA Awards "2010 Ring Girl of the Year", making it her third consecutive title.
At the 4th World MMA Awards in 2011, Celeste was voted the "2011 Ring Girl of the Year" again beating Brittney Palmer. This made it her 4th consecutive award.
In 2012, Celeste was nominated for the "2012 Ring Girl of the Year" award at the World MMA Awards. Celeste lost out to Brittney Palmer who became the first person other than Celeste to win the award.World MMA Awards
Celeste was nominated again in 2013 as she looked to win the "Ring Girl of the Year" crown back from Palmer. Celeste further lost out to Palmer. This was Celeste's second consecutive loss.World MMA Awards
In 2014, Celeste and Palmer were both nominated for the "2014 Ring Girl of the Year" at the World MMA Awards. Celeste regained her title as the "Ring Girl of the Year" making it her fifth time to have won the award and setting a new record.
In 2015, former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey argued "Either the ring card girls are paid too much, or the fighters aren't paid enough." UFC ring girls are reportedly paid $18,000 a year. This excludes jobs outside the UFC, like modeling. Arianny Celeste protested, calling Rousey a "big bully". Celeste argued that being a ring girl is harder than it seems.
As model Celeste has modeled for magazines such as Maxim, FHM, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, and Fighter's Only Magazine.
On February 4, 2010, Sports Illustrated named her "Lady of The Day."Lovely Lady of the Day: Arianny Celeste February 4, 2010 - SI.com. Updated October 29, 2010
Maxim voted her "The Hottest UFC Octagon Girl" in the May 2010 issue where she was featured as the cover model.Arianny Celeste Photos May 2010 MAXIM.com. Updated October 29, 2010 Arianny also appears in Maxim's Hot 100 list for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; she placed #23, #69, #58, #18 and #59 respectively on the list.
Celeste posed nude for the November 2010 issue of Playboy, which was one of top-selling issues that year.
As host The UFC premiered a new weekly, web-only show called UFC Ultimate Insider on July 29, 2010.UFC Ultimate Insider: Episode 1 July 29, 2010 - UFC.com. Updated October 29, 2010 Celeste serves as host for the show, with Joe Rogan interviewing various UFC fighters. It also features updates on upcoming matches, PPV's, as well as highlights from previous events. The first episode featured a new photo shoot with Celeste.
Celeste was the co-host of TV series Overhaulin'. She appeared in seven episodes from 2014 to 2015.
Others Hooters invited Celeste to be a judge at the 2011 Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant. Celeste is featured as an Octagon girl in the video games UFC 2009 Undisputed, UFC Undisputed 2010, UFC Undisputed 3, EA Sports UFC and EA Sports UFC 2.
Charity In September 2009, high school senior Conner Cordova, a fan of mixed martial arts, asked Celeste to attend his prom with him in a series of three YouTube videos. Celeste agreed, provided that he found a date for her friend. However, Celeste was unable to appear due to her schedule, so the plan changed to attending another dance. That also proved impossible, so Cordova and Celeste sponsored their own event, which doubled as a fundraiser for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.Arianny Celeste-Conner Cordova dream dance... March 22, 2010 - Denver Westword Blogs. Updated October 29, 2010. astrongerhaiti.org. March 20, 2010
In 2013, Celeste, along with female mixed martial artists from various promotions, auctioned their sports bras on eBay to raise money for breast cancer research.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to provide medical Protective equipment for the Centennial Hospital in Las Vegas and other related hospitals.
Personal life On May 26, 2012, Celeste was arrested in Las Vegas with her then-boyfriend, Praveen Chandra. She was charged with domestic violence with regards to an alleged fight with Chandra. Celeste posted a $3,000 bond and was released at 7:00 pm PT. She was expected to have a hearing in Nevada on July 2, 2012. Chandra accused Celeste of kicking him in the nose. However, Celeste indicated Chandra also choked her several times during the evening. Both were arrested in a Wynn Las Vegas hotel room.
Filmography Television Year Title Role Notes 2010 FightZone Presents Herself Special guest 2010 Cubed Herself Special guest 2010 MMA H.E.A.T. Herself Special guest 2011 2011 Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant Herself Judge 2011 MMAthletics Herself Special guest 2012 Tosh.0 Herself Special guest 2012 The Burn with Jeff Ross Herself Special guest 2012–2013 UFC Ultimate Insider Herself Host for 4 episodes 2013 AXS Live Herself Special guest 2014 The Playboy Morning Show Herself Special guest 2015 The Damon Elliott Show Herself Special guest 2014–2015 Overhaulin' Herself Host 2017 MVP Herself Host for 1 episode
Movies Year Title Role Notes 2012 Here Comes the Boom Herself Uncredited 2015 Girl House Kylie Uncredited Brass Knuckles Miyoung Pre-production
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2010 UFC Undisputed 2010 Herself 2011 UFC Personal Trainer Herself 2012 UFC Undisputed 3 Herself 2014 EA Sports UFC Herself 2016 EA Sports UFC 2 Herself 2018 EA Sports UFC 3 Herself
References
External links
Arianny Celeste UFC Bio