Ronda Rousey

Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey is the reason women fight in the UFC. The first American woman to win an Olympic judo medal (bronze in Beijing, 2008), she won her first eight professional fights by armbar, took the Strikeforce bantamweight title from Miesha Tate in 2012 and became the first woman Dana White ever signed. As the UFC’s inaugural women’s bantamweight champion she made six defences, including a 14-second armbar of Cat Zingano and a 34-second knockout of Bethe Correia.

Holly Holm’s head kick at UFC 193 ended the aura in 2015, and a 48-second loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 ended her MMA career. She moved on to WWE and in 2018 became the first woman in the UFC Hall of Fame. CagePotato followed the whole ride, from the Strikeforce armbars and the Tate rivalry to the Holm upset and the acting detour.

Ronda Rousey fact file
Full nameRonda Jean Rousey
NicknameRowdy
Date of birth
Place of birthRiverside, California, USA
Organisations fought in
  • UFC
  • Strikeforce
  • King of the Cage
Accolades
  • Olympic bronze medal, judo (Beijing 2008)
  • Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion (2012)
  • Inaugural UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion (2012–2015, six title defences)
  • First woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame (2018)
  • WWE Raw Women’s Champion

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