Sophia Halidis Knockouts and 3 Counts interview on PFL

In the Sophia Halidis Knockouts and 3 Counts interview, Halidis described how a chance approach at Foxwoods led to work with Bellator MMA and the Professional Fighters League, why she kept traveling while her fiancé underwent cancer treatment, and how interviewing PFL fighters has changed the way she watches them compete.

How did Sophia Halidis become a ring girl at CES Boxing?

Sophia Halidis became a ring girl after someone approached her while she was bartending at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and suggested she work a boxing show. She knew nothing about the job or combat sports when she went to Twin River Casino in Rhode Island for CES Boxing, but enjoyed the experience and accepted an MMA show afterward.

Learning the job at Twin River Casino

Halidis recalled Manfredo being on the boxing show. There was no formal tryout when she arrived: a CES ring girl showed her where to walk, which corners to stop at and how to display the round number. She subsequently worked CES MMA and boxing shows in Providence.

She said the women she has worked with at CES, Bellator, PFL and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship have supported one another, rather than competing over the job. The work also gave her a connection to a sport she had not played or followed growing up. Meeting fighters, seeing their preparation and spending time behind the scenes gradually built her interest in MMA. Halidis said she has now worked in combat sports for 11 years.

How did Sophia Halidis get from CES to Bellator MMA?

Sophia Halidis joined Bellator MMA by sending her ring-girl résumé, modeling photos, social media and a video explaining why she wanted the job to the woman responsible for its ring girls. Bellator was running shows at Mohegan Sun near her home, and her CES experience helped her secure an invitation to work there.

Starting alone at Mohegan Sun

Her first Bellator assignment put her onstage without another ring girl. It was also her first time working weigh-ins. Compared with the regional events she knew, Bellator brought larger camera and production crews and more work involving photographers and microphones. Halidis said the team was professional and took care of its staff.

Traveling to the Kia Forum for Fedor Emelianenko’s last fight

After working Bellator shows at Mohegan Sun, she traveled for the first time with the promotion to the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. The CBS show featured Fedor Emelianenko’s final fight against Ryan Bader. For Halidis, who had previously worked locally in Connecticut and Rhode Island, being flown across the country marked a major step. She recalled seeing Emelianenko’s team arrive, eat and leave together, dressed in matching sweatsuits.

Halidis also worked Bellator shows in Chicago at Wintrust Arena. Those trips became part of a career she had pursued while managing serious demands at home.

How did Sophia Halidis work for Bellator during her fiancé’s cancer treatment?

Sophia Halidis continued pursuing Bellator MMA while her fiancé underwent treatment for cancer, taking overnight flights home to care for him between shows. She said she worked her first traveling Bellator event at the Kia Forum just before his liver surgery, then received the call confirming her Bellator job while he was in the hospital.

A red-eye flight after the Kia Forum show

Halidis and her fiancé had dated in high school and reunited after she had begun working Bellator shows at Mohegan Sun. They learned he had cancer a few months before her trip to Inglewood. She told Bellator that she could work the show but needed to fly home overnight because his surgery was scheduled for the next day. After working the event, she returned, slept about two hours and took him to the operation, which she said lasted 12 hours.

Her fiancé underwent chemotherapy while she traveled for Bellator to places including Hawaii, Chicago and South Dakota. Halidis said she did not miss his medical appointments and kept track of his doctors, nurses and care while also running a restaurant. After his final chemotherapy treatment, she brought him to Bellator 301 in Chicago. She said he beat stage-four cancer, was back at work and was doing well when they spoke. They were planning a wedding and flipping a house.

Halidis described why she kept making the trips and returning to care for him:

when you love someone, you know, you do whatever you got to do.

Keeping public work separate from home life

Halidis said comments from strangers about her ring-girl work do not change her relationship. Her fiancé attends shows when he can, watches when he cannot and encourages her to succeed. At home, she said, they spend time with her seven-year-old stepson and manage their restaurant, house projects and wedding plans. She contrasted that support with an earlier relationship she ended because her partner was jealous of the career she wanted.

What are Sophia Halidis’s PFL ring girl fight week duties?

Sophia Halidis’s Professional Fighters League fight week involves more than weigh-ins and carrying round cards. She said she works with the social media and production teams, interviews fighters, helps make videos and spends time backstage before fight night. That schedule gives her a close view of both the promotional work and the physical demands fighters face.

Production work before the weigh-ins

For a Friday show in Chicago, Halidis said she would typically arrive on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the PFL team might bring her in during the morning to be fitted with a microphone and work with camera crews, videographers and fighters. She and fellow ring girl Louise take part in interviews, questions and lighter videos. Halidis values the chance to meet the fighters and work as part of the broader production team.

On Thursday, she visits the morning weigh-ins, when fighters are still cutting weight, before preparing for the staged weigh-ins later in the day. She described seeing medical staff at work and offering fighters brief encouragement. By the time they appear onstage after weighing in and eating, she said, the atmosphere has changed. Fight night follows the next day.

What changed for Sophia Halidis when she moved from Bellator to PFL?

Sophia Halidis said losing her Bellator work was upsetting, and she spent two years away from the job before the Professional Fighters League called. The move brought new colleagues and some adjustment, but familiar Bellator staff, fighters and fellow ring girl Louise made PFL feel like home to her.

She had stayed in contact with people who knew her Bellator work, including Mike Kogan, to let them know she was available. When a PFL opportunity opened, she and Louise joined the team. Halidis said she encountered familiar drivers and security staff alongside new PFL employees. She described the day she heard about changes involving Jake Paul’s promotion as chaotic, but said she had met the incoming people only once and wanted to see how the arrangement would work before judging it.

How has interviewing PFL fighters changed Sophia Halidis’s view of their fights?

Sophia Halidis said interviewing PFL fighters has made watching their bouts harder because she now knows more of the people in the cage. Conversations, photo sessions and time with their coaches have become friendships. When those fighters compete, she finds herself rooting for both sides and offering encouragement afterward, win or lose.

Getting to know fighters beyond the cage

Halidis said PFL gave her and Louise the chance to interview fighters rather than limiting them to ring-card appearances. She sees fighters move between media obligations, including photo and video shoots, as well as their training and weigh-ins. She recalled playing soccer with Dakota during fight week. Those ordinary moments make the stakes feel more personal once a bout begins.

She and Louise have caught themselves shouting reactions while watching fights with their microphones still on. Halidis also recalled seeing a fighter eat gas-station Cheerios the night before a demanding bout. For her, such encounters are a reminder of the people she has come to know before seeing them compete.

Who is Sophia Halidis?

Sophia Halidis is a longtime professional combat sports ring girl and model who has worked with Bellator MMA, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and the Professional Fighters League. Her work has appeared across television and streaming outlets including CBS, Showtime and ESPN.