Charlie Arnolt becomes the first female cage announcer

When Charlie Arnolt approached UFC producers for a chance to compete in the UFC on ESPN 55, he initially turned it down.

With cage announcer Joe Martinez battling an illness during Saturday's UFC Apex card in Las Vegas, the promotion needed someone to step in and introduce the fighters and read the results of some of the main card bouts. Ta.

At that time, Arnold appeared in the Octagon to work. The company's first female cage announcer. It was a big moment for Arnold, but it almost never happened.

One of the producers came up to me and said, “Hey Joe Martinez, the announcer in the Octagon is sick. He's losing his voice,'' Arnold said on Instagram Sunday. said on the account. 'I don't know if he can do the next presentation. Can you do that?' I was like, 'Sorry, what are you asking?'

He said, “Listen, if you don't feel like it, you can say so, but time is of the essence and we need to resolve this quickly.” So I said to him, “Listen, I have to be honest.” I'm not sure if I'm comfortable doing this. ” Why did I say that? Because obviously I was scared and I messed up the announcement on national television on ESPN. It was scary because I had never had this kind of responsibility in the UFC. So I said to them, “I don't think I can do it.” He said, “Okay, that's fair.” we will solve it. ” He walks away. ”

Arnold said she was with two UFC makeup artists when the opportunity approached. Just seconds after she said no, Ms. Arnold's colleagues encouraged her to step out and jump on the moment.

“As I was standing there, two makeup artists from the UFC looked at me and said, 'What's wrong? Of course you can. You're a very talented person. You're a professional. Why are you uncomfortable? You need to do it,” Arnold said. “I was freaking out, but I thought, 'You're right, I have to do this.' When the team needs me, I can't back down.” So[the producers]immediately I turned around and was like, “Listen, if you need me, I'll do it.” i'm ok. '

“He said, 'We're going to make sure we're fully prepared.' So I stayed behind and[the producers]helped me, and Joe Martinez was there to help me get ready.” He does his best to teach me the knowledge I need to survive the upcoming presentation.”

Arnold admitted she was nervous when it was her turn. However, the reaction to her replacement was overwhelmingly positive, with almost unanimous praise from her fans, fighters and media.

“When the time came, I stepped inside the octagon, made the first announcement, and got it done,” Arnold said. “I was like, 'Oh my god, I did it.' I was in a kind of state of shock. Then obviously I had to keep moving forward and I needed a lot of help from the team. .

“The important thing here is that I am not only very grateful for the help given to me by these people, but also very grateful for the confidence they have given me. I am not an insecure person. No. There are a lot of things. But I was scared of messing up, and I don't know if I would have ended up doing it if I didn't have some great people pushing me. I'm so grateful that I was pushed out of my comfort zone because, oh my gosh, I made history.”

For more information on this card, visit MMA Junkie's UFC event hub on ESPN 55.