Caitlin Clark reacted to Sophie Cunningham’s viral UFC 329 cameo with genuine amusement, calling the moment “so fun to see” after the Indiana Fever blew out the Las Vegas Aces 109-75 on July 13. Cunningham had walked the Octagon as a ring girl less than a day earlier, then backed it up with 20 points in the win.Clark’s own night carried historical weight too. She recorded her 600th career assist during the game, doing so in just 72 outings and breaking the previous record by nine games.
Caitlin Clark reacts to Sophie Cunningham’s ring girl appearance at UFC 329
Caitlin Clark (via Getty Images)
Caitlin Cunningham’s UFC cameo came together fast. She had planned to attend UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena as a fan, and UFC president Dana White accepted her offer to work as a ring girl with roughly ten minutes’ notice. Dressed in all black, she signaled the start of the Paddy Pimblett-Benoit Saint Denis co-main event and later celebrated in the Octagon with Max Holloway after his win over Conor McGregor.Clark admitted she missed the moment live. She said she does not subscribe to Paramount+ and was following the card on her phone instead, adding that Cunningham never mentioned the plan beforehand. Speaking after Indiana’s win, Clark offered her verdict on what the appearance meant for the league’s visibility, saying the reaction shows fans are paying close attention to the personalities across the WNBA. She left the door open for more crossover moments down the line, joking about Cunningham’s future. “Maybe she’ll be a UFC fighter. I don’t know. That’s up to Sophie,” Clark said.
Sophie Cunningham backs up viral cameo with hot shooting night
Sophie Cunningham. Image via: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Cunningham did not let the late night in Las Vegas slow her down. She caught fire from beyond the arc against the Aces, connecting on six of seven three-point attempts to finish with 20 points, a performance that turned her UFC moment into a full 24-hour highlight reel.Mitchell led all scorers with 27 points, extending her streak of 25-plus point games to six straight. Clark, still managing a back issue that first surfaced in late June, finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 24 minutes. Aliyah Boston added a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double as Indiana’s balanced attack overwhelmed a Las Vegas team it had now beaten twice in eight days.
The win capped a 3-1 West Coast trip and pushed Indiana’s record to 14-9. The Fever now return home for four games before the WNBA All-Star break, starting July 15 against the Golden State Valkyries at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with Cunningham’s newfound viral momentum and Clark’s record-setting pace both worth watching as the stretch continues.
