Christine Hallauer, the ring girl with a knockout personality

Over grilled seafood while sipping coconut juice by the seaside at Santorini, Greece. That would be the perfect setting for an interview (or a date) with Filipino-Australian model, Christine Hallauer. But of course this is not 'Lunch with the FT'. Still, I could imagine us both chatting the whole evening, where once in a while we would glance at the beautiful sunset view the that place has to offer.

But it is back to reality now. The real place where I met Christine was during the ONE Fighting Championship's (ONE FC) weighing in event - a day before 'War of Nations' fight night at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

Christine is one of ONE FC's ring girl. But being a ring girl does not just mean parading around the MMA cage before every round, they help to promote the events as well. In fact, they are the ambassadors of the organisation, where they attend meet-and-greet sessions and promotional events.

Hailing from Perth, Christine is certainly not a bimbo as some might generally label girls who walk around in their sexy outfits and seductive smile. She holds a degree in Commerce from Curtin University with a double major in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations, and works in a large oil and gas company back in Australia.

"This is my third time in Malaysia.. . and I really like the weather, the food, and the seafood is very fresh. Not to mention the people are very friendly," said Christine as we sat down at the edge of stage, making ourselves comfortable for the interview.

At first I thought she would a bit of a diva, but it turns out I was wrong. As a person she was very humble, down to earth, had a warm smile and fun to talk to.

Landing her first gig as a ring girl back in 2013, she was handpicked by ONE FC CEO, Victor Cui by doing photographic and promotional work in Australia in which she applied through a video audition.

"I think it would be my first event in Singapore. I wasn't expecting so many fans... I was excited, people were screaming. It was quite overwhelming.

"Plus, I had never been in front of a crowd that size before or even on live TV. I was very nervous and excited at the same time," said Christine recalling her first experience of being a ring girl, which she described as the best experience so far. It was in Singapore during ONE FC's 'Kings and Champions' event on April 5 last year.

Apart from appearing in newspaper pullouts and websites, she had also been featured in various top magazines including FHM Malaysia, Men's Health Singapore, Muse and recently, FHM Philippines.


Being the only child in her family, her parents are very supportive of what she does. Her mother is from Davao, Philippines and her father is a Swiss who resides in Australia.

Coming from a family of mixed parentage, Christine converses well in four different languages including Swiss, German and Filipino. She admits she loves her ring girl job as she gets to travel and meet lots of new people.

"It's so much fun. I'm based in Australia, so I get to travel to Asian countries like Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia. It's not a job actually, I'm just having fun," she said with a laugh when asked about how much she liked being a ring girl.

Soon, the topic about fitness came up. I was curious on whether ring girls practice the same exercise routine or diet that an MMA fighter does.

So I had to ask her, and her answer was, "I have always been maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I watch what I eat, exercise three to four times a week and I do a some boxing and cross fit as well."

I got a bit more excited when she mentioned 'boxing'. I wanted to know whether one day she herself might participate in one of the MMA tournaments. But she told me she does boxing as part of her workout routine, and it was nothing serious.

However, Christine said she does feel proud watching female fighters like Ann 'Athena' Osman and Sherilyn Lim in action, as it shows that MMA is not only a sport for men but for women too.

"Yes, yes I'm an MMA fan myself. When I first started I wasn't too much interested in the sport. But now I start following the fights," replied Christine when asked whether she is a fan herself.

Her favourite fighters include Bibiano Fernandes, Kevin Belingon, Brock Larsen and Peter Davis.

So far, Christine said she had never encountered any bad experiences while being a ring girl. She said everyone including the crowd treated her with respect, and she also gets along well with the other ring girls.

Asked on what's next for her in her career, Christine said, " If I could leave my day job to become a full time model then I would. For now I will continue with my role as a ONE FC ring girl and modeling. I would also like to pursue acting in the near future."