Arianny Celeste gets paid to watch dudes fight. As one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's "Octagon Girls," the 22-year-old beauty gives fight fans a welcome break to admire the female form before a fighter submits to a rear naked choke or gets knocked out by a well-placed kick to the head.

We exchanged e-mails with the beautiful Arianny and asked her about peace, love and blood.

Where is your family originally from?

Mexico.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Las Vegas but I now live in Los Angeles.

Did you ever get blood on you?

No, I hope I never do!

Have you become a pacifist?

No, I enjoy watching the fights.

Is it all fake?

It's as real as it gets.

Who is your favorite MMA fighter?

Anderson "The Spider" Silva and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. They both are excellent, nice and down to earth.

Do you ever date any of the fighters?

No, Ive been on a couple dates with one and I quickly realized it was not for me. I prefer normal, dorky guys rather than big macho fighters.

What do you want to do when you're done with UFC?

Go back to school, finish my degree and settle down a bit, maybe start a family. It's been a crazy two and half years, lots of fun and traveling! I will still stay in L.A. and pursue a career in entertainment, but I'm ok with just being normal. :) I have a lot of cool things to show my kids when I have them.

(image via ufc.com)

Growing up, Cain Velasquez couldn't afford to train to become a boxer. So he became a fighter instead.

Born in California and raised in Arizona, Velasquez grew up idolizing Mexican boxers like Érik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. “My dad wanted me to box, and I wanted to box, too," recalls the six-foot-one, 240-pound Velasquez. There was one problem. His parents couldn't afford it. In junior high, he discovered wrestling and soon traded in his gloves for a singlet. In high school, he was a two-time state champion and by the time he graduated from Arizona State University, Velasquez was a two-time All American.

By combining elite Greco-Roman wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, the former nightclub bouncer is elbowing his way into the center of the crowded heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Renowned for his endurance and perfectionism in the gym, the soft-spoken grappler says words mean little once the bell rings: "Regardless of what people say about me, I’m going to have to go out there and prove it." And prove it he has: Velasquez is currently undefeated with five victories, all by knockout and all but one in the first round. Few heavyweight MMA fighters have careers that last beyond 30 fights.

Velasquez, who has the words "Brown Pride" tattooed on his chest, says his boxing-obsessed father still influenced his MMA style: "My dad started out working in the lettuce fields and he kinda just worked his way up and became a truck driver… I got my work ethic just from watching him."

You may have wondered: are they? A little?
Well, yes. Yes, they are.

Frank Shamrock

Age: 35

MMA fighter known for successfully defending the UFC Middleweight title five times before eventually retiring in 1999.

Halfsie or Fullsie?

Fullsie: Mexican-American.

Earl Watson

Age: 29

Point guard for the NBA's yet-to-be-named Oklahoma City team. Plans on attending law school after he retires.

Halfsie or Fullsie?

Halfsie: African-American father and Mexican mother.

Carmelo Anthony

Age: 24

Small forward for the NBA's Denver Nuggets. Nicknamed "Melo." Married to TV personality Alani "LaLa" Vasquez.

Halfsie or Fullsie?

Halfsie: Puerto Rican father and African-American mother.

Jonathan Bornstein

Age: 23

Defender for MLS's Chivas USA and the U.S. national team. Named Rookie of the Year in 2006.

Halfsie or Fullsie?

Halfsie: Mexican mother.

Tito Oritz

Age: 33

Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion. Fired on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice. Dating adult film star Jenna Jameson.

Halfsie or Fullsie?

Halfsie: Mexican-American father.

(image by bry241173 via flickr)

Roger Huerta says he should be dead by now. But the 24-year-old isn't talking about his career as a professional fighter, he's thinking back to his years growing up.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Texas, Huerta's parents divorced when he was five. Huerta stayed with his mother, Lydia, until his teachers found bruises all over his body and he was sent to a foster home. Although a court then gave his father, Rogelio, custody, Huerta's mom had other ideas. She fled the country with her son to El Salvador – right in the middle of that country's violent civil war. Huerta's mother eventually sent him back to his father who had moved to San Juan de los Lagos, México – and become a violent drug addict. Roger, now only slightly more protected than a street kid, began selling chewing gum and rosaries to tourists in front of La Basilica de San Juan de los Lagos.

As he was entering his teens, Huerta and his father returned to Texas, settling in Dallas. With his father still battling drug addiction, Huerta began staying with friends and attending school daily for a free breakfast and lunch. Huerta recalls: "I loved school because I got to eat!" In 1998, at 15, he moved to Austin, Texas with the family of a friend where he became a star athlete in both football and wrestling at Crockett High. Afternoons, Huerta worked at places like Blockbuster Video and Taco Bell to earn "survival money." His English teacher, Ms. Jo Ramirez, became his college tutor, mentor and later his adopted mother.

In 2002, Huerta began wrestling at Augsburg College in Minneapolis but dropped out of school after his freshman year. By then he was already hooked on mixed martial arts, a combination of boxing, martial arts and wrestling. By 2006, Huerta had made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut in front of nearly 18,000 spectators at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. Just one year later, he had become a star. With a five-match winning streak, good looks and a strong Latino fan base, Huerta who often wears green, white and red trunks during fights, became the first MMA fighter to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Huerta, who says he neither drinks nor smokes, is now based in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he lives and trains with a tight-knit group of fellow MMA fighters. Nicknamed "El Matador" for his methodical style in the ring, Huerta insists his foray into mixed martial arts is not about taking out childhood frustrations on opponents: "I think it's just that I've found something I'm good at doing."