The Journey to Canvases and Corks

After retiring from UFC, Brittney Palmer paints an all-new chapter in her life story

By Jen Smith / Photos by Jose Valdez

It may surprise some who don’t understand the city's dynamics that Las Vegas is home to a burgeoning art scene. Many of our most talented local artists began their careers in other fields, reached great success and then pursued a new path.

This is Brittney Palmer's journey. While regarded as the most popular UFC ring girl in history, Palmer retired from her years in the Octagon to focus on her already established art career. Along the way, she's cultivating a new, yet relevant interest: wine.

A significant part of Palmer’s destiny rested in sports even before her UFC career. Her performance stints began right after high school, where she worked as a magician’s assistant. She even danced in long-running Strip shows Jubilee and X Burlesque. Those roles revealed Palmer’s affinity for the spotlight.

“I had a natural talent for stage presence,” she says.

She found the ring girl role through the agencies she worked with during this time. Palmer spent 16 years alongside the Octagon, winning awards like Ringcard Girl of the Year six times. After clinching that title again in 2023, she decided that her prestigious career would end.

“I built such a base with UFC, there will probably always be people interested in seeing what I'm doing,” she says.

Stepping out of the spotlight took some adjustments. The demands of her camera-ready physique no longer exist, so Palmer pursues more relaxed workouts, spends more time at the beach and capitalizes on her newfound free time.

“You're so used to [being the] center of attention, and then you're always on the go and traveling and doing the things it takes to be camera-ready,” she explains in regards to her former career demands. “It was a little adjustment period, [along with] that feeling of ‘what if I'm forgotten?’ This is a completely vulnerable and organic [reaction]. As time has passed, [I] feel so grateful for this free time.”

The UFC will always remain in Palmer’s peripheral vision. Since her retirement, she has maintained an adjacent relationship with the industry but also plans to look ahead and fully take advantage of her next leap.

“UFC was such a big part of my life for so long,” she says. “This is a beautiful thing that I did and now I’m onto my next chapter.”

This era is all about her art, which has been a constant throughout her career in athletics, even providing her solace through difficult times. A couple of years into her dancing career, Palmer was involved in a serious car accident that left her unable to walk for a short time. Throughout her recovery, she dove into art as an outlet that turned into something more.

“In that three-month healing recovery period, I was rehabilitating and keeping myself busy by painting and [putting] that creativity I had on stage into something else,” she explains. “I’m a busybody person, and then I fell absolutely in love with it.”

Upon recovery, she put dancing aside to attend art school in Brentwood, Calif., to cultivate this newfound affection.

“I knew that when I was able to walk and be healed, that dancing would never quite be the same, because my heart was in art,” Palmer explains. “When you gain a passion for something, it's obsessive. I had to do it.”

Now, her original paintings, priced starting at $1,500, combine color with evocative silhouettes and famous faces. Her creations appear in Las Vegas hotels like the Plaza and W, while Joe Rogan, Jon Jones and Conor McGregor own works by Palmer.

Potential art collectors will also see an unconventional offering on Palmer’s website: trading cards. Custom cards with Star Wars and Major League Baseball (MLB) themes are still available from a completed partnership with American trading card company Topps. A current collaboration with Cardsmith features exclusive designs that collectors can hunt for in the Currency Summer Set Packs.

Beyond her site, Palmer showcased past series, like “High Frequency,” at Kaleidoscope Gallery, her studio space in the Arts District. While her work is not currently on display at Kaleidoscope, she is subletting the gallery to other artists and is proud to maintain the space.

"I always wanted to have something like that. It was really cool and exciting when [Kaleidoscope] opened," she says.

Palmer’s preferred medium is acrylic on canvas but the avenues of expression don’t stop there. Her new business, Palmer Artisan Wines, features her colorful designs printed on labels of California single-varietal wines. Her manager and friend, Kamela Brewer, influences Palmer Artisan Wines. Brewer’s ability to find excellent wines inspired Palmer to start the project. As an “expert wine drinker” with a preference for Cabernet, Palmer works with the Fennacy Wine Company family to produce a mix of bottles.

Curating her label allows Palmer to intersect her art and wine into a unique business and an outlet for creative expression.

“There's this concept of ‘where art and wine intertwine,’ which is what we say,” Palmer explains. “I can get all of your senses visually stimulated by the art—the taste of [the wine is] stimulating, the smell of it is stimulating. We wanted to have this fully immersive experience.”

Buy Palmer Artisan wines as one-offs or on a subscription basis. Members of her Pour Decisions wine club can also enjoy virtual tastings with Palmer herself, as well as art merchandise and invites to VIP events.

Palmer’s presence in the Arts District befits her current lifestyle. She splits her time between homes in Nevada and Southern California, where she attends Otis College of Art & Design.

However, as a Vegas-raised local, the entire city remains her playground. She often travels to the Westside to spend time with friends, particularly at Durango Resort and Downtown Summerlin.

“It's such a large and small city at the same time, and everyone knows everyone and supports everyone,” she says.

With her family and friends in Las Vegas, Palmer nods to the strong community the city cultivates.

While she describes California as having “bubbles” where nobody leaves, Las Vegas is its own giant bubble, where residents will traverse neighborhoods to show up for their community.

“If you're living in Summerlin, it doesn't mean you're going to stay in the Summerlin bubble,” Palmer says. “You're driving to the Arts District, you're going to the Strip, you're going all over, and I think that there's something refreshing about people who are open to the idea of making the journey to support other people.”

There will be even more chances to support Palmer’s projects. With Cardsmiths in full swing, her wine club and more, she’s only getting started in the next phase of her creative life.

“I'm always doing something,” she says. “It was good to have my little time off, and now I'm kicking it into full gear.”