I’m a famous UFC Octagon girl, but I love painting and celebrities including Lady Gaga and a rock legend own my art
BRITTNEY PALMER has established herself as one of the faces of the UFC.
The stunning Octagon girl, 36, has been with the organisation for an incredible 16 years.
But she’s far more than just a pretty face.
Alongside her career, Brittney has carefully crafted another calling in life… as an artist.
The stunner’s art work is owned by a host of celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Steven Tyler, Conor McGregor and more.
Her flair for painting developed when she was 21, after she was hit by a car and spent three months recuperating – with a paintbrush serving as the beauty’s preferred medication over painkillers.
She has since raised over £80,000 for charity, while juggling her UFC gig and being a social media influencer.
Brittney told SunSport exclusively: “When I posed for Playboy, Maxim or FHM, if you read any of those articles and interviews with me you would have read that I am also an artist.
“I went to art school. I have always been pushing that alongside my brand.
“Still, many people don’t believe I am a painter. I was always authentic to who I am, I love doing photoshoots and being glam, but I also love being creative and an artist.”
Brittney was just 18 when the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas enticed her to the stage.
She performed as a magician’s assistant and a burlesque dancer. However, a car accident made her reevaluate her life and future.
She explained: “When I was 21 I was hit by a car and I was unable to walk for three months.
“During that period I started to realise that everything I thought was completely not it.
“Everyone who I thought were my friends were not my friends because we just worked together.
“In the way of rehabilitating, I began to paint, which is something I hadn’t done since high school. I wasn’t going to take painkillers, I wasn’t going to do the therapy, I was going to sit and paint.
“I fell so in love with it, I just couldn’t imagine dancing again.
“It was such a passion, a flame inside me completely ignited. I went back to dancing, but it wasn’t the same.”
A move to Los Angeles soon followed, where Brittney enrolled at UCLA to study art. She would later refine her skills at Brentwood Art Center.
Just before her move, Brittney had begun to build a name for herself in MMA circles as a ring girl for the now defunct WEC promotion.
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In 2011, the WEC merged into the UFC and she became an Octagon girl alongside best pal Arianny Celeste and Chandella Powell.
“I’ve been with them for 16 years, it’s such a family unit,” Brittney revealed.
“It’s kind of like travelling with a circus, we’re all from different parts of the world and we meet up all around the world and experience these new places together.
“We also experience the wins and the losses, seeing your favourite fighters come and go or grow in the sport.
“Being with the company that long, you become a staple of that organisation.
“I went into UFC as a gig, but it turned into a career. You get to travel the world, get paid to do it and work alongside really talented people. It’s a dream.”
In 2020, the world was hit with restrictions when the coronavirus locked down cities and sport events were cancelled.
That left Brittney without work and needing to find a new revenue stream.
She turned to social media platform OnlyFans, where she was able to control her brand without any compromise.
“I was at a place where financially I was worried about what was going to happen,” Brittney told us.
“The world shut down, so I lost a lot of work and my best friend Arianny (Celeste) told me she was doing it and how much money she was making.
“She helped guide me, telling me it didn’t have to be this preconceived notion of content – it could be anything you want.
“I took it, I ran with it, and it was a lifesaver – not only financially but creatively.”
Brittney offers a free subscription for her OnlyFans followers when she’s promoting her podcast or her art.
However, for direct messages and mass messages you have to pay a bit extra.
“I have always been really lucky with my fans because of UFC,” she said.
“I also have a pool of art lovers and music lovers on there, so I get fans interested in different things.
“It’s everything I am interested in, I know about and they want to know about me.
“A lot of them are extremely respectful, who genuinely want to know about being an Octagon girl or my painting. It gives me a great chance to show who I really am.”
Tastefully, Brittney refused to be drawn upon how much she has made from the site, insisting she was “very grateful” to be “financially independent.”
But most importantly, it gives Brittney the perfect shop window to showcase her art work, alongside sexy bikini photos.
Her paintings have attracted plenty of celebrities.
From the UFC world, Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, Jon Jones, and Joe Rogan all own her work.
Floyd Mayweather’s assistant commissioned Brittney to design a custom paddleboard for the boxing legend, with Page Six reporting it cost up to £16,000.
While Lady Gaga was also presented with a special art piece at Park MGM’s NoMad restaurant, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has also bought a painting.
Speaking of her celebrity fans, Brittney said: “Well, famous people are just like us… But I am honoured. Famous or not, they like what I like.
“I always say, ‘your vibe attracts your tribe.’ The whole world may not like my paintings, but some people get it and have that connection with you on things you like.
“It’s really cool that people, not only believe in me as an artist, but feel good looking at my art.”
Incredibly, Brittney has raised over $100,000 (£80,000) for charitable causes by donating some of her pieces for auction.
“I’ve worked with AMFAR, UNICEF, and Janies Fund,” she divulged.
“Being a part of those organisations, I believe in them very much. It’s so incredible to use my art in a positive way.
“And that is the ultimate dream. I do something I love and can combine it with something charitable and give back to others.”