Height/Weight/Division:
5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) / 134 lb (61 kg; 9 st 8 lb) / Bantamweight
Networth:
$13 million
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rondarousey
IG: https://www.instagram.com/rondarousey/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/RondaRousey
One of the key fighters in women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey was the first UFC women’s champion and was the biggest star in women’s MMA, period. At her peak, Rousey had that IT factor that put her with the likes of UFC’s biggest stars like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar, and much more.
JUDO Olympics
Rousey started her base with Judo and went on to win a bronze medal in Judo Olympics. She then proceeded to try MMA, her first big fight was at strikeforce against Miesha Tate. In just her fifth fight, she fought for the title and won via armbar. Rousey was a high-level grappler, her first eight MMA wins, all ended via armbar.
First Major MMA Belt
After news that the UFC bought the Strikeforce, Rousey was promoted to UFC Bantamweight Champion. She had her first defense against Sarah Kaufman and she secured another armbar.
Rousey had high ceilings in terms of becoming a star, she had the charisma, the looks, and the way she finishes fights are all entertaining. For her second title defense, she fought Liz Carmouche where it also ended via armbar. Once Rousey gets a hold of her opponent’s arm, it is pretty much over.
Rousey vs Tate 2
A rematch was then scheduled, it was against former Strikeforce Champion, Miesha Tate. The fight lasted longer than the usual Rousey fights, it was the first time that Rousey fought past round 1. Although at round 3, Rousey still somehow got a hold of Tate’s arm and it was pretty much over.
Rousey’s Fast Finishes to her Opponents
It was not like Rousey did not want to grow, she faced wrestler, Sara McMann. Both fighters had high-level grappling that it was hard to take each other down, so they engaged in the striking and clinch more, Rousey landed an accurate knee to the body that put McMann down. Rousey got hit quite a few times and showed a bit of chink on her defense.
In her next fight, she fought Alexis Davis. The fight ended pretty quickly Rousey landed a punch, got a hold of Davis, and took her down. Rousey got in a nice position to land strikes on Davis’s head that the referee had to stop the fight.
Ronda Rousey’s peak
Rousey then called out an undefeated fighter, Cat Zingano. In the fight, Zingano rushed early to try to land a knee but Rousey anticipated it and took the fight on the ground. Once at the ground, it was Rousey’s home, and she secured an armbar even at an awkward angle.
Another undefeated fighter was called out, Bethe Correia. The fight had a lot of bad blood as Correia insulted Rousey’s family. The fight was like a brawl, but Correia went down fast.
Rousey became a superstar, her last three fights ended in less than a minute. She started to like an unbeatable fighter. Rousey was also featured in the movie, The Fast and The Furious 8. She was without a doubt the biggest name in Women’s MMA.
First MMA loss
Her downfall came when she fought former boxing champion, Holly Holm. In the fight, Rousey was a heavy favorite but it was Holm’s night. Some fans think it was the wrong game plan for Rousey to strike against Holm.
Holm was an experienced world-class fighter and she had a great game plan of staying on the outside and not letting Rousey engage in the grappling. Rousey lost her composure and that might have ruined her game plan. It was a matter of time that Holm landed a head kick that knocked Rousey out.
Comeback Loss
A year later, Rousey decided to reclaim her title but since her loss, there were three title changes. Holm lost it to Tate and then Tate lost it to Amanda Nunes. When Rousey got hit by Nunes, it was a different reaction. Many of Nunes’s past opponents have said that she hits like a truck.
Rousey had no answer and couldn’t defend the strikes that Nunes threw so the referee stopped the fight. It was Rousey’s last MMA fight, she then later transitioned to WWE and had a successful run but she has not fought at WWE since 2019.
The legacy of Rousey is an important piece to the MMA community, especially to the Women’s MMA. Before the UFC would not even entertain the idea of a woman fighting inside the Octagon, then Rousey came along and it was one of the best ideas that the UFC agreed to. Although it was not like Rousey was the pioneer but she made it big, there were other female fighters that paved the way for Rousey.
