Rachelle Leah Speaks on Posing for Playboy, Returning to The Octagon, Silva and More

Source: UFC.com and Thomas Gerbasi

Rachelle Leah has been an Octagon Girl in front of thousands of screaming fans. She’s been viewed by millions on television Related News as the host of UFC All Access, and had more than her fair share of worldwide magazine features and covers. But as she waits for the November issue of Playboy to hit newsstands this Friday with her face on the cover, the nerves are starting to kick in.

“Yes,” she laughed when UFC.com caught up with her last Friday. “The nerves have kicked in, and they just kicked in more because I got the first issue, and it’s surreal. I’m freaking out.”

Really?

“I think it would be weird if I wasn’t nervous,” she explains. “I’m both nervous and excited, and I’m full of crazy emotions. The funny thing is, I’ve been on a bunch of different covers, and I’ve never felt anything. People are always saying ‘aren’t you excited, you’re going to be on the cover of this,’ but I’ve always been like ‘this is my job.’ It’s exciting to do what I do, but it is what it is, and I’ve never been one to go ‘Oh my God!’ about it. But this time I’m feeling that to the fullest.”

Playboy is a big deal, and has been home to pictorials from the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Pamela Anderson to Cindy Crawford and Kim Kardashian. So when the offer to appear in the magazine (and on the cover) was presented to the 24-year old model and actress, it was something that she took very seriously.

“The main reason I did it was because to be on the cover of Playboy is a huge honor,” she said. “And I’m open-minded; I’m not the type of girl that’s like ‘oh my God, you should never be nude.’ But I am the type of girl that says you should never be nude if it’s not done right, and I knew that it was going to be done right.”

But before accepting, she had to consult with some very important people first.

“I didn’t even accept the offer until I asked my mother and father, because I’m very close with them,” said Leah. “I’ve got a very supportive family, so I’m really lucky that everyone is really proud of me, and it’s not like this is just some random nude magazine – it’s Playboy, the biggest magazine in the world, so I’m pretty excited about that, and they are too.”

And even though she’s excitedly nervous about the prospect of the magazine hitting newsstands this week, Leah loves the way the entire process played out, from the initial talks and the photo shoot to the finished product.

“I’m really happy with the way it came out,” she said. “My whole deal was that I wanted it to be very classy, elegant, and mature – and it is. And with all the creative control that they gave me and the picture approvals that I had, I knew where everything was going, and it was perfect – it was a great shoot. People will like it.”

The powers that be at Playboy must like it too, because they’ve put on a full-court press in promoting Leah’s appearance in the magazine. It’s the type of push that can skyrocket her career even further in the coming months and years, which is precisely the point.

“I was hoping it would take on a life of its own, and I’m hoping that it opens a ton of doors for me and re-secures the doors that have already been opened for me,” said Leah. “I want to capitalize on this in every different way possible.”

If the nearly endless string of interviews and personal appearances she’ll be doing over the next few weeks don’t ignite things, then maybe a return to her old stomping grounds – the Octagon – could do the trick.

What?

“I’m going to do it, one more time,” she said of her ‘one night only’ return as an Octagon Girl at UFC 90 on October 25th. “To hype up the
issue, I’m gonna be at the Chicago event.”

Leah will also be returning to her UFC All Access gig as she hosts an in-depth look into the life and training of the man headlining UFC 90, middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

“I’m so excited about it – he’s my favorite fighter of all-time,” said Leah of Silva. “Of all the guys I’ve worked with - and I’m friends with some of them and have respect for all them – he is on top of my list. He’s amazing. He’s so graceful in the Octagon, it’s my favorite thing to watch.”

Getting a return trip to Brazil isn’t bad either.

“We did go to Rio and to where he (Silva) was born and raised in Curitiba,” said Leah. “That was a great experience. He really welcomed us into his home, and his family is great. He doesn’t speak a lot of English, so the challenge there was how am I gonna communicate with him and make this look right and come off well, but the interaction with him was so great, and he speaks enough for us to have a great time, and you really get to see his genuine personality.”

But donning her Octagon Girl gear one last time and bringing fans into the home of the best pound for pound fighter in the world is just scratching the surface of Leah’s plans in the next few months. She just finished filming an action/horror movie – The Bleeding, with Vinnie Jones, Michael Madsen, and Armand Assante - that will be released next year; she’s signed on as a spokesmodel for Anheuser-Busch; will be seen hosting THQ’s UFC 2009 Undisputed videogame; and she will even have her own action figure.

It’s been quite a year for Rachelle Leah, and it looks like things will only get more hectic from here on out. But she’s ready for anything.

“I’m at a point in my career where I’ve already accomplished so much and I want to do so many more things,” she said. “Hopefully, this (the appearance in Playboy) will help kick start it even more.”

Rachelle Leah Speaks on Posing for Playboy, Returning to The Octagon, Silva and More

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