Life after the UFC for Logan Stanton

By Brett Okamoto

Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 | midnight

Former octagon girl Logan Stanton won't have a reserved ringside seat waiting for her when the UFC starts off 2010 with an event Jan. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

But that doesn't mean she won't be there.

Less than 24 hours after Stanton received the news she wouldn't be brought back as an octagon girl in 2010, she already had managed to secure a ticket to the next event.

"I've already made plans to see UFC 108, so I'll be there," Stanton said. "I love the sport. I have a blast watching it. The only downside is I won't have front row seats."

Will it hurt, though, Logan, looking down on your old seat right next to the action?

"Nooo!" she answers. "I'll have my drink in the stands and I'll be perfectly happy. As long as I'm in that arena, I'll be happy."

Stanton admits she was stunned and angry when she received a call from the UFC on Thursday, casually informing her that the organization had decided to part ways with the 21-year-old model.

Stanton was in the middle of a photo shoot in Los Angeles when the call came.

"I went into the dressing room and just stood there for a minute, literally a minute, upset," she said. "Then I felt angry because they didn't tell me why. I had to continue doing my shoot, so I put on a happy face.

"I was definitely upset but at the same time, I was never going to make a career out of being a ring girl. It is what it is. It was a job and although I loved it, life goes on and there's a ton of work in L.A. to keep me busy."

Rumors as to why the UFC had split ways with Stanton began to fly Thursday, especially since 24-year-old Natasha Wicks also was let go in the middle of her one-year contract.

Some Web sites reported that it was likely because of an interview the two women gave to RawVegas, an internet broadcast site, in which they both claimed that welterweight Josh Koscheck had faked an eye injury during his fight at UFC 106.

According to Stanton, however, she believed the organization decided to go with a new look.

"I pretty much knew from the beginning that I didn't fit the ring-girl type," said Stanton, who has said in the past she wasn't "curvy" enough to be a ring girl. "Going into it, I told the UFC that this is how I am and that I wasn't going to get fake boobs.

"I think they tried it out for a bit. Me and Natasha were the friendlier ones and I think now they want something sexier and curvier."

Stanton says she can be proud of becoming a popular ring girl, despite never feeling she looked or acted like one.

Even after a year with the UFC, Stanton said that making regular appearances in a bikini never did anything for her and getting to meet celebrities and fighters was always "weird."

"I kind of got used to it, but in the beginning I was so thrown off that anyone knew who I was or wanted to take a picture with me," Stanton said. "I don't thrive on attention, so when there is a camera guy following me and there's a giant shot of my butt on the screen, that's something I won't miss."

Out of all the after-parties, UFC shows and backstage memories, Stanton's favorite recollection is a bus ride she took with the UFC staff from Oklahoma City to Dallas for back-to-back events.

"One of the best times I had was when the whole crew drove to Dallas together," she said. "It was just neat to hang out with everybody. It was down to earth, nobody was working. We sat on the bus for four to five hours and just chatted."

UFC President Dana White confirmed Friday that Chandella Powell, who works at the Playboy Club at The Palms Casino, would join Arianny Celeste as the new octagon girl.

He said he wouldn't give specifics on why Stanton and Wicks were let go, but changing octagon girls from time to time is nothing new for the UFC.

"We do it all the time. We let Edith (Labelle) go earlier this year, too," White said. "I don't think I want to publicly talk about why people were let go.

"(Logan and Natasha) are both great girls and I have nothing against them. It was just time to move on."

Moving on for Stanton means continuing her modeling career, which includes deals with Guess and Roxy.

She said it also may include a shot at acting and possibly pursuing a college degree.

"Right now I'm focusing on modeling, maybe acting and getting into commercials," Stanton said. "At the same time, I'm 21 and I don't really know what I want. I'm trying out everything right now, seeing what fits.

"Maybe I'll try to get involved again with MMA. I really loved the sport and had a great time working with the UFC."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.