Watch: When UFC Octagon Girls Honored the Day of the Dead – Dia De Los Muertos

The UFC presented a distinctive cultural celebration at UFC 306 on September 14, 2024, such as octagon girls wore elaborate Day of the Dead themed costumes at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The event, titled Noche UFC, coincided with Mexico’s Independence Day weekend and served as what UFC president Dana White described as a “love letter to Mexico.”

Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is one Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2 in honor of deceased loved ones. The tradition originates from indigenous Mesoamerican peoples, most notably the Aztecs, who viewed death as a continuation of life rather than an end. When Spanish colonists arrived in the 16th century, they introduced Catholic celebrations such as All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, which blended with indigenous rituals to create the modern celebration of the Day of the Dead.

The holiday focuses on creating ofrendas, or altars, decorated with marigold flowers, photos of the deceased, their favorite foods and candles. Families believe that these sacrifices bring spirits back from the afterlife to visit the living. Sugar skulls, known as calaveras de azucar, serve as decorative elements on altars and represent the cycle of life and death.

The celebration focuses on joy rather than mourning, allowing families to reconnect with deceased relatives through colorful parades, traditional foods and festive gatherings. Many participants wear elaborate skull face paint and costumes to commemorate the deceased.

UFC Octagon Girls

Eight new ones octagon girls participated in the event, with six native Mexican women and two second-generation Mexican Americans. The roster included Hannah Esparza, Ayled Coreno, Ariadna Vidal, Karla Espiritu, Valeria Galvan and Dany Lule. Each woman wore a custom wardrobe and makeup, tailored to the different thematic chapters presented during the event.

Seven-time Emmy Award-winning costume designer Marina Toybina created the intricate costumes for the octagonal girls. Toybina, who has designed for major artists such as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and The Masked Singer, brought her expertise in combining storytelling with visual spectacle to the UFC event. The costumes include several different styles in honor of Mexican heritage. Some octagonal girls wore traditional Mexican-inspired outfits, while others embodied the “Sacred Heart” theme with beautiful black net dresses, elaborate facial makeup and headdresses.

The makeup designs feature Day of the Dead elements, including intricate face paint that resembles sugar skull decorations. Makeup artists Lisette Santana and Mara Rouse created the detailed looks of several octagonal girls. The designs include colorful patterns, floral motifs and skeletal images typical of Dia de los Muertos celebrations.

The UFC 306 production team created six 90-second film chapters showcasing different periods of Mexican history, with each segment accompanied by corresponding visual themes reflected in the octagon girls clothes. The event generated a record-breaking live gate of $22 million, becoming the highest-grossing event in UFC history. The extensive production, which cost approximately $20 million, included custom combat kits, original films directed by Carlos López Estrada and unprecedented integration of Sphere’s advanced technology.