Sophie Cunningham Sent WNBA’s Woke Fanbase into a Meltdown with One UFC Cameo

Sophie Cunningham built her fame protecting Caitlin Clark from vicious fouls in a violent WNBA.

This weekend she traded the hardwood for the UFC Octagon as a last-minute ring girl.

What some WNBA fans said about that cameo has them demanding the Fever cut her loose.

From WNBA Enforcer to Overnight UFC Sensation

Cunningham first became a household name in June 2025 when she stood up for Clark against the Connecticut Sun.

Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye, and teammate Marina Mabrey slammed her to the floor.

Officials hit Clark with a technical foul of her own and let Mabrey off with just a technical, not the flagrant her hit deserved.

Cunningham took matters into her own hands and delivered a hard foul that got her ejected on the spot.

She chipped a tooth in the scuffle and walked away a folk hero to Fever fans nationwide.

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Cunningham has been a black belt in taekwondo since she was six years old.

Her father played football at Missouri, and she once kicked extra points for her own high school team.

That toughness is exactly why Dana White wanted her in his Octagon.

Dana White Called Her In with Eight Minutes' Notice

Cunningham showed up at UFC 329 in Las Vegas Saturday night to watch Conor McGregor's comeback fight.

She told White she wanted to walk the Octagon, and he said yes on the spot.

White later told reporters he hired her – as he put it – "about eight minutes before she did it."

White made clear afterward the two of them have built a real friendship over the past year.

Cunningham carried the round card ahead of the Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis bout.

Pimblett choked Saint Denis unconscious in under a minute, so her cameo barely lasted one lap.

She still posed for cameras, pointed toward celebrity row, and later recreated a viral pointing meme with Max Holloway.

White showed up at the Fever's next game wearing a Cunningham T-shirt.

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This Isn't the First Time Her Fun Triggered a Meltdown

Weeks earlier, Cunningham calmly pointed at Phoenix's DeWanna Bonner after Bonner tangled with Clark, and the image went viral.

The White House then shared a clip of Cunningham discussing the moment, paired with a photo of President Trump making the same gesture.

A Chicago Sun-Times columnist grumbled that the story blew up "because everything has to be about him."

Yahoo Sports's The Comeback ran a nearly identical script on the UFC cameo, framing it as Cunningham "leaning into MAGA."

Two separate viral moments, two separate media meltdowns, same target.

Woke WNBA Fans Wanted Her Benched for This

Cunningham's UFC moment should have been a fun sports crossover story.

Fans piled on for her simply showing up at a UFC event, accusing her of cozying up to Trump-world.

Other fans, also writing in to The Comeback, said the Fever shouldn't keep rewarding a player who's riding Clark's coattails.

The backlash leaned hard on Cunningham's unofficial "MAGA Barbie" nickname, a label she has never claimed for herself.

Cunningham told the New York Times last year that she sees herself as politically right down the middle.

Cunningham shrugged it off and posted a photo from the night to her Instagram story anyway.

That reaction says everything about where WNBA fandom has drifted.

Cunningham spent over a year taking hits for Caitlin Clark and got nothing but praise for it.

The moment she smiled next to Dana White and the UFC, some of those same fans wanted her gone.

This is the same playbook liberal sports media runs every time a crossover star gets caught near Trump-world without apologizing for it: manufacture outrage, demand punishment, move to the next target.

Real fans don't demand a benching over a ring walk – they demand it because winning stopped being enough for the mob.

Cunningham has already shown twice now that she doesn't answer to an online crowd, and that's exactly why Granddad's rooting for her.

Sources:

• Joe Hoft, "Sophie Cunningham Takes a Moment from Basketball to Be a Ring Girl at UFC Fight," Joe Hoft, July 13, 2026.
• OutKick Staff, "Sophie Cunningham kicks off her shoes and walks the Octagon at UFC 329 as a surprise ring girl," Fox News OutKick, July 12, 2026.
• Power Line Staff, "The Versatile Sophie Cunningham," Power Line, July 12, 2026.
• Fox News Digital, "Sophie Cunningham opens up on ex-team's treatment of Caitlin Clark, and infamous fight that chipped her tooth," Fox News, July 30, 2025.
• The Comeback Staff, "'She's leaning into MAGA': Sophie Cunningham sparks outrage with UFC move," Yahoo Sports/The Comeback, July 12, 2026.
• Chicago Sun-Times Staff, "Sophie Cunningham finger paints a vivid picture of MAGA mindset," Chicago Sun-Times, July 7, 2026.