You know what I love most about MMA?

I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the kicking and punching and blood and guts.

I’ll give you another hint: it’s the ring girls.

Think about it.  Without the rise of the UFC, would we have ever known that sexy women like Arianny Celeste and Brittney Palmer even exist?

Well okay, fine. We probably would have. They’re hot, and they would have made it as models no matter what. But I’m awfully glad they made it by being ring girls first, because that means I get to write stories about them from time to time (being a sports blogger and all).

But enough about those women. They are the past and present of MMA ring girls. This article is about the future—which is to say, it’s about Shannon Ihrke.

Shannon is a 24-year-old former Marine. That’s right, a Marine. Like, with the guns and the shooting and the camouflage.

The 5’8″ bombshell went through Marine boot campt at Parris Island, and after serving the Corps for a few years (sitting at a desk filing papers), she’s now trying to make it as a model. In 2011 she appeared in Maxim as one of their Hometown Hottie finalists, and now she’s working as a ring girl for some small-time regional promotions.

However, it’s pretty clear from Ihrke’s, uh, portfolio (see gallery above) that it’s only a matter of time before she makes it big and gets signed by the UFC.