Jump to content

Ronda Rousey

From Alfawiki
Ronda Rousey
Born
Ronda Jean Rousey

(1987-02-01) February 1, 1987 (age 39)
Riverside, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Professional wrestler, actress, judoka, mixed martial artist
Years active2010–present
Known forFirst American woman to win Olympic judo medal; first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion; WWE Women's Champion

Ronda Jean Rousey ( ; born February 1, 1987) is a former American professional wrestler, actress, judoka, and mixed martial artist. She gained prominence through her involvement in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE.

Rousey made history as the first American woman to secure an Olympic medal in judo, taking home bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Her MMA journey started in 2011 with King of the Cage before moving to Strikeforce, where she became the final Women's Bantamweight Champion prior to Strikeforce’s acquisition by the UFC. She competed in UFC's inaugural female bout at UFC 157, earned the distinction of being the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, and held the record for the most title defenses by a female in UFC history (6) until Valentina Shevchenko surpassed it in 2022. After retiring from MMA in 2016, she became the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.

Shifting to professional wrestling, Rousey signed with WWE in 2018, making her debut at WrestleMania 34. She captured the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam that year and was a featured competitor at WWE's inaugural all-female pay-per-view event, WWE Evolution. Her reign ended at WrestleMania 35 during the first-ever women's main event. Returning for the 2022 Royal Rumble, she won that contest and secured the SmackDown Women's Championship twice, becoming a three-time women's world champion. Alongside Shayna Baszler, she claimed and unified both WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championship titles, earning recognition as the eighth Women's Triple Crown Champion. Following her departure from WWE in October 2023, Rousey began performing on the independent wrestling scene.

Rousey stands out as the sole woman to have held championship titles in both UFC and WWE and to headline pay-per-view events for these organizations. In a 2015 ESPN poll, she was voted best female athlete of all time and has been hailed by Fox Sports as "one of the defining athletes of the 21st century." Outside sports, Rousey has acted in films including The Expendables 3 (2014), Furious 7 (2015), and Mile 22 (2018), as well as authoring her autobiography My Fight / Your Fight in 2015.

Early life

Born on February 1, 1987, in Riverside, California, Ronda Jean Rousey is the youngest daughter among three siblings of Ronald John Rousey and AnnMaria De Mars (née Waddell). Her mother was a distinguished judoka, notably becoming the first American to win a World Judo Championship in 1984. Her father worked in manufacturing, held a patent related to a police protective shield, and was affiliated with the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. Rousey's ancestry includes English, Polish, Venezuelan, Trinidadian, and Canadian roots. Among her maternal lineage is Dr. Alfred Waddell, one of North America's earliest black physicians. Her stepfather is employed as an aerospace engineer. At age eight, Rousey experienced the loss of her biological father who died by suicide following a sledding accident.

During childhood, Rousey faced challenges with speech due to apraxia, a neurological condition, which improved after intensive therapy following her family’s relocation to Jamestown, North Dakota. Although she left high school before graduation, she later obtained her GED. Raised between Jamestown and Southern California, she concluded her judo career at age 21 and embarked on MMA at 22 to pursue broader opportunities beyond traditional paths.

Olympic judo career

Rousey initiated her judo journey alongside her mother at the age of 11, continuing their training partnership until she turned 13. At 17, she became the youngest judoka to earn a spot at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she was defeated in her opening bout by eventual silver medalist Claudia Heill in the 63 kg division. That same year, she captured gold at the 2004 World Judo Juniors Championships held in Budapest.

In April 2006, Rousey made history as the first American female judoka in nearly ten years to win an A-Level event, taking gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain. Later that year, she secured a bronze medal at the 2006 Junior World Championships, becoming the first U.S. competitor to earn two medals at Junior World level.

By February 2007, competing in the 70 kg category, Rousey was ranked among the top three female judokas worldwide. She claimed gold at the 2007 Pan American Games and earned silver at the 2007 World Judo Championships.

During the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Rousey was eliminated in the quarterfinals by former world champion Edith Bosch, but rebounded to win bronze by defeating Annett Boehm. This achievement marked her as the first American woman to secure an Olympic judo medal since the sport's inclusion in 1992. She concluded her judo tenure with an overall record of 56 victories and 19 defeats.

Following the Olympics, Rousey retired from competitive judo at age 21. In her post-athletic life, she lived modestly in Venice Beach, California, supporting herself and her dog through various jobs.

Training

Rousey's judo training took place at clubs established by former teammates of her mother, including Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood, under the guidance of Gokor Chivichyan. There, she trained alongside future MMA athletes Manny Gamburyan and Karo Parisyan. Hayastan promoted a more aggressive judo approach compared to traditional Japanese styles. Early on, training mostly with larger male partners proved challenging and often frustrating for Rousey.

After sustaining a knee injury at age 16, Gamburyan provided personal coaching during afternoon gym sessions. While Gamburyan and Parisyan transitioned into MMA competition, Rousey initially remained focused on judo but kept close ties with MMA through them. Her interest in mixed martial arts grew after watching Gamburyan face Nate Diaz at The Ultimate Fighter finale. Post-2008 Olympics, she fully committed to MMA training with Team Hayastan.

Additionally, Rousey trained under Edmond Tarverdyan at Glendale Fighting Club for an extended period. Between 2011 and 2014, she enhanced her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu abilities at Dynamix MMA with Henry Akins and later worked with Ryron and Rener Gracie of Gracie Academy as well as B.J. Penn from Art of Jiu-Jitsu. For wrestling skills development, she trained under Romanian-American Leo Frîncu.

Early career (2010–2011)

Rousey's amateur mixed martial arts debut took place on August 6, 2010, where she secured a victory by armbar submission within 23 seconds. On November 12, 2010, she advanced through the Tuff-N-Uff women's tournament (145 lbs division) by submitting Autumn Richardson in 57 seconds. She won her semifinal bout against Taylor Stratford on January 7, 2011, by technical submission in just 24 seconds before declaring her intention to turn professional. Her amateur MMA record concluded undefeated at 3–0 with less than two minutes of total fight time.

Her professional debut occurred on March 27, 2011, during King of the Cage: Turning Point, where she submitted Ediane Gomes in 25 seconds. On June 17, 2011, Rousey faced kickboxing champion Charmaine Tweet at Hard Knocks Fighting Championship in Calgary, Canada, winning by armbar submission after only 49 seconds.

Initial Triumphs

Rousey was originally scheduled to make her Strikeforce debut against Sarah D'Alelio on July 30, 2011, at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in Illinois; however, the bout was delayed until August 12, 2011, taking place at Strikeforce Challengers 18 in Las Vegas. She secured victory early in the first round via a technical submission using an armbar, amid some debate over D'Alelio’s verbal tap out.

On November 18, 2011, Rousey submitted Julia Budd with an armbar in the first round at Strikeforce Challengers 20 in Las Vegas, resulting in Budd’s elbow being dislocated. Following this win, Rousey declared her intention to move down to the 135-pound weight class to challenge the then-Strikforce Women's Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate, with whom she had a well-publicized rivalry.

Her coach Edmond Tarverdyan later revealed on The Joe Rogan Experience that Rousey began her MMA career competing at 145 pounds because it was difficult to find opponents on short notice and she needed to make weight quickly.

Women's Bantamweight Title Holder

On March 3, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio, Rousey faced Tate for the Strikeforce title and emerged victorious by executing an armbar submission in the first round, earning the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship.

She was featured in All Access: Ronda Rousey on Showtime, which premiered on August 8, 2012. During the show, UFC President Dana White indicated that Rousey was poised to become the first female fighter signed by UFC. The series’ second episode aired on August 15, 2012. Additionally, Rousey made an appearance on Conan.

Rousey successfully defended her Strikeforce title against Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman on August 18, 2012, in San Diego by submitting Kaufman with an armbar just 54 seconds into the fight. Following this defense, Rousey stated any potential matchup with former Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg would require competing at bantamweight.

Pioneer Female UFC Champion

In November 2012, the Ultimate Fighting Championship signed Ronda Rousey as its first-ever female competitor. Dana White announced her as the inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion during the pre-fight press conference for UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz.

Although initially hesitant to adopt the nickname "Rowdy"—given to her by friends—Rousey gained personal endorsement from professional wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper after meeting him through her trainer Gene LeBell.

Rousey defended her title successfully against Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 on February 23, 2013. She won via armbar submission at 4:49 of the opening round despite Carmouche causing a dislocation of Rousey's jaw during the contest.

At UFC 168 on December 28, 2013, Rousey retained her Bantamweight Championship in a rematch against Miesha Tate by submitting Tate with an armbar in the third round after a hard-fought battle. Rousey later admitted she had lost muscle mass due to filming commitments and had not fully regained her physical strength for this matchup.

Championship Tenure Marked by Records

Rousey successfully retained her UFC Women's Bantamweight title against undefeated Olympic medalist Sara McMann at UFC 170 on February 22, 2014. She secured a TKO victory just over a minute into the opening round with a knee strike to McMann's midsection, marking the first time she won by a method other than an armbar. The early stoppage generated some debate regarding its timing.

In 2014, espnW recognized Rousey as one of their Impact 25.

She next defended her championship against Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on July 5, 2014, earning a knockout win in only 16 seconds despite suffering a broken thumb during the bout. This performance garnered her a second Performance of the Night bonus.

Originally slated to face Cat Zingano at UFC 182, the fight was postponed to UFC 184 on February 28, 2015. Rousey defeated Zingano by armbar in just 14 seconds, setting the record for the shortest UFC title fight at that time.

On August 1, 2015, Rousey competed against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Brazil, knocking her out in 34 seconds. She dedicated this fight to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and received another Performance of the Night award.

Across six UFC fights, Rousey spent a total of only 1,077 seconds inside the octagon, earning $1,080,000 in prize money—averaging nearly $1,002.79 per second of competition. Her average fight duration of 2 minutes and 59 seconds was notably faster than any other UFC weight division average, with Heavyweight bouts averaging the longest at 7 minutes and 59 seconds.

Title defeat and later retirement

In her seventh defense of the title, Rousey faced Holly Holm as the headliner at UFC 193 on November 15, 2015. Despite being heavily favored, Rousey was outmatched and knocked out by Holm’s neck kick in the second round, ending both her undefeated run and reign as champion. Both athletes earned $50,000 bonuses for Fight of the Night. Following the bout, Rousey was medically suspended on November 18 and medically cleared on December 9, 2015. The loss profoundly affected her; after returning to the United States, she avoided paparazzi and later disclosed having contemplated suicide following the defeat.

After more than a year away from competition, she returned to face reigning champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016, but was defeated via TKO early in round one.

Although she never officially announced retirement, when questioned in 2018 about an MMA comeback, Rousey expressed doubt about returning—likening it to attempting another Olympic judo run. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July of that year.

Mixed martial arts fighting approach

Prior to her initial bout with Miesha Tate in 2012, Rousey stated: "During my judo days my biggest edge was my conditioning and pace; I used to exhaust my opponents." She adopted an approach inspired by Ryoko Tani, aiming to fight every five seconds as if it were her last.

As a highly accomplished judoka, Rousey frequently executes opponents with hip throws and sweeps, then looks to finish with strikes or submission holds.[1][2] From dominant top positions she delivers punches from side control, while from behind she secures a back mount to land head strikes.[3][4][5] Although right-handed and adopting an orthodox striking stance, she employs left-handed judo techniques.[6]

Rousey cites Fedor Emelianenko as her favorite MMA fighter and models aspects of her style after him.[7]

Renowned for her grappling prowess and multiple wins via armbar, Rousey frequently brings striking-focused opponents like Julia Budd and Sarah Kaufman to the mat to secure swift submissions.[2][8] Only elite grapplers such as Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche have matched her ground skills.[1][3]

Early in her MMA tenure, striking primarily served to set up judo takedowns; however, after debuting in UFC she enhanced her striking abilities to achieve stoppage victories. Her stand-up arsenal includes jabs, knees, and overhand rights.[9][10] She prefers facing opponents squarely rather than adopting a traditional boxing stance while maintaining power close to the cage or during clinches using her left hand.[11]

Her trademark armbar technique originates from practicing with her mother—a fellow judoka—who drilled armbars on her daily.[12]

Rousey is credited with pioneering trash talk within women's MMA by employing provocative rhetoric that helped generate media attention and elevate the profile of female fighters.[13][14]

Background

Rousey has long been an admirer of professional wrestling. Alongside Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir, she forms a group known as "The Four Horsewomen," a name inspired by the iconic Four Horsemen faction, which was endorsed by members Ric Flair and Arn Anderson.

Initial appearances and contract signing (2014–2017)

The Four Horsewomen received on-screen recognition during WWE's SummerSlam event on August 17, 2014, where they also met backstage with influential figures such as Paul Heyman. When questioned about potentially following in Brock Lesnar’s footsteps, Rousey hinted at a possible transition into professional wrestling.

At WrestleMania 31 on March 29, 2015, the group occupied front-row seats. In a segment featuring The Rock and The Authority, Rousey made a striking entrance into the ring, confronting Stephanie McMahon and Triple H with a display of physical dominance that attracted widespread attention. This moment sparked significant discussion, further fueled by Rousey’s tweet suggesting a return to WWE.

During July and September 2017, the Horsewomen appeared at the Mae Young Classic supporting Shayna Baszler’s WWE debut. They also participated in an on-screen confrontation with WWE’s own Four Horsewomen—Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Bayley—hinting at storyline developments to come.

Later in 2017, it was confirmed that Rousey had signed a full-time contract with WWE. She began training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, receiving additional coaching from Brian Kendrick at his wrestling school.

Raw Women's Champion tenure (2018–2019)

Rousey made an unexpected appearance at the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018, confronting champions Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka, who had just won the inaugural women’s Royal Rumble match. ESPN reported her full-time contract signing with WWE. The jacket she wore was a tribute to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, gifted by his son.

On February 25 at the Elimination Chamber event, Rousey officially signed her WWE contract within the storyline following a confrontation with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, aligning herself with the Raw brand.

Her in-ring debut took place at WrestleMania 34, where she teamed up with Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. On April 8, she secured victory by submitting McMahon using her signature armbar move. This debut received widespread acclaim from both fans and critics; veteran commentator Jim Cornette described it as the greatest debut ever. The Washington Post highlighted the enthusiastic fan response and praised her exceptional coordination.

In May, Rousey earned an opportunity to challenge for the Raw Women’s Championship against then-champion Nia Jax at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. On June 17, she won via disqualification after Alexa Bliss interfered and cashed in her Money in the Bank contract to claim the title. Despite initial doubts about her wrestling background, critics commended her strong and entertaining performance.

Rousey engaged in a feud with Bliss over the championship, which included a storyline suspension after she attacked officials. Following her suspension period, she was granted another title match at SummerSlam, where she decisively defeated Bliss to capture her first WWE championship.

She successfully defended the Raw Women’s Championship through late 2018 and early 2019 against challengers including Nikki Bella—headlining WWE’s first all-women pay-per-view Evolution—Mickie James, Nia Jax, Natalya, and Sasha Banks. She was scheduled to face Becky Lynch at Survivor Series, but after Lynch sustained an injury during an angle just before their bout, Rousey instead faced Charlotte Flair and won by disqualification. At December’s TLC event, Rousey interfered in a match between Flair and Lynch to assist Asuka in winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship. After retaining her title against Bayley in January 2019, Rousey continued her rivalry with Lynch following Lynch’s Royal Rumble victory and subsequent WrestleMania 35 challenge.

On February 11, WWE storyline officials suspended Lynch for 60 days and replaced her with Charlotte Flair as Rousey’s WrestleMania opponent. On March 4, Rousey turned heel by attacking both Flair and Lynch. At Fastlane, Lynch defeated Flair by disqualification due to interference from Rousey, setting up a triple threat main event for WrestleMania involving all three competitors.

On March 25, WWE announced that this would mark the first women’s match to close WrestleMania. At WrestleMania 35 on April 7, Lynch controversially pinned Rousey to capture both Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships. Although production footage showed that Rousey’s shoulders were not fully down during the three-count, this ended her reign of 231 days—the longest Raw Women’s Championship reign until surpassed by Lynch.

SmackDown Women's Championship Reign (2022)

Rousey made her WWE comeback as a face on January 29, 2022, during the Royal Rumble event. Entering the Women's Royal Rumble match at number 28, she eliminated competitors including Brie Bella, Nikki A.S.H, and Shotzi. She ultimately secured victory by last eliminating Charlotte Flair, which granted her a title opportunity at WrestleMania 38. On the February 4 episode of SmackDown, Rousey declared her intention to challenge Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38. At the Elimination Chamber event on February 19, Rousey teamed with Naomi to defeat the duo of Flair and Sonya Deville. During the opening night of WrestleMania 38 on April 2, Flair successfully defended her championship against Rousey, ending Rousey's undefeated record in singles competition. The following SmackDown episode saw Rousey propose an "I Quit" match to Flair; although initially refused, the match was later scheduled for WrestleMania Backlash on May 8, where Rousey emerged victorious to capture the title.

On the May 13 edition of SmackDown, she successfully defended her championship in an open challenge against Raquel Rodriguez. At Money in the Bank on July 2, Rousey retained her title against Natalya but subsequently lost it when Liv Morgan cashed in her Money in the Bank contract, concluding Rousey's reign after 55 days. Rousey issued a title rematch challenge against Morgan at SummerSlam on July 30 but was defeated under contentious circumstances and was kayfabe suspended from WWE following an altercation with the referee. After her suspension ended, Rousey earned another title shot by winning a fatal five-way elimination match on the September 9 SmackDown. The next week, Morgan challenged her to an Extreme Rules match for the championship, which Rousey accepted. At Extreme Rules on October 8, Rousey reclaimed the SmackDown Women's Championship by defeating Morgan.

During the October 28 episode of SmackDown, she retained her championship against returning competitor Emma in an open challenge. At Survivor Series: WarGames on November 26, Rousey successfully defended her title against Shotzi with assistance from Shayna Baszler. On December 30's SmackDown, she again retained against Raquel Rodriguez but lost the championship to Charlotte Flair in a spontaneous match lasting less than a minute, ending her second reign after 83 days.

Alliance with Shayna Baszler and Initial Retirement (2023)

Following a short break, Rousey reappeared on the February 10 episode of SmackDown, aligning with Shayna Baszler to face Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox. Despite competing with a fractured elbow, Rousey and Baszler triumphed in the women's WrestleMania Showcase fatal four-way tag team match during Night 2 of WrestleMania 39. As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, this duo was assigned to the Raw brand.

On May 29's episode of Raw, they secured victory in a fatal four-way tag team contest for the vacant WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, with Rousey becoming WWE’s eighth Women's Triple Crown Champion. On June 23's SmackDown, they unified the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championship belts, resulting in the retirement of the NXT titles. Their championship run concluded after 32 days at Money in the Bank (2023) when Baszler betrayed Rousey, leading to their loss of the titles to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.

At SummerSlam, Rousey was defeated by Baszler in an MMA Rules match via technical submission—marking her first submission loss in WWE competition. Subsequent reports indicated her departure from WWE; this remained unofficial until October 28 when she was listed under WWE’s alumni roster. On October 11, Rousey publicly announced her retirement through Instagram.

In promoting her autobiography, she openly criticized her WWE experience and Vince McMahon, attributing her decision to retire largely to multiple concussions sustained during her mixed martial arts career.

Independent circuit and final retirement (2023–2025)

Rousey made her comeback from retirement on October 26, 2023, partnering with Marina Shafir to secure a victory over trainer Brian Kendrick and Taya Valkyrie at a Lucha VaVoom event. Two days later, Wrestling Revolver announced Rousey's debut at their Unreal show on November 16 in Los Angeles, where she and Shafir faced Athena and Billie Starkz, resulting in a no contest. The following evening, during ROH Honor Club TV tapings, Rousey debuted in Ring of Honor (ROH), teaming again with Shafir to defeat Athena and Starkz in a rematch.

In September 2025, Rousey officially declared her retirement from professional wrestling.

Other pursuits

By January 2022, Rousey was recognized as one of the top 20 wealthiest MMA fighters, boasting a net worth of $12 million and standing as the sole female on the list.

Magazine features

Rousey appeared nude on the cover and within the ESPN The Magazine 2012 Body Issue pictorial. In May 2013, she was ranked 29th on Maxim's Hot 100 list and appeared on its September cover. She made history in 2015 as the first woman to grace the cover of Australian Men's Fitness (November edition).

She also became the first mixed martial artist—and only the second woman after Cathy Davis—to be featured on The Ring magazine's cover (January 2016). In February 2016, Rousey was one of three athletes showcased in body paint on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover.

Film and television projects

Rousey's prominent film debut came with The Expendables 3 (2014). She also appeared in Furious 7 (2015) and portrayed herself in Entourage.

In October 2015, she made history as the first female athlete to guest host ESPN's SportsCenter. On January 23, 2016, Rousey hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, featuring musical guest Selena Gomez. She guest-starred as Devon Penberthy, a prisoner, in Season 2, Episode 20 of Blindspot.

Several leading film roles were developed for her, including an adaptation of her autobiography My Fight / Your Fight at Paramount; The Athena Project at Warner Bros.; and the action movie Mile 22 directed by Peter Berg. She was also slated to star in a remake of the 1989 action drama Road House, which would have been her most substantial acting role; however, this project was cancelled in 2016.

On August 18, 2019, Rousey joined Fox’s drama series 9-1-1 for its third season as recurring character Lena Bosko. During production, she suffered severe finger injuries that required surgical intervention.

In September 2021, she hosted the ESPN+ limited series Rowdy's Places, a ten-episode program investigating combat sports' worldwide popularity through expert conversations.

Video game appearances

On July 9, 2018, it was announced that Rousey would be one of two pre-order bonus characters for the video game WWE 2K19, alongside veteran wrestler Rey Mysterio. She had previously been featured in EA Sports UFC, EA Sports UFC 2, and EA Sports UFC 3. Later appearances include downloadable content for WWE 2K20, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, and WWE 2K22, as well as roles in WWE 2K23 and WWE 2K24. Additionally, Rousey has been playable in mobile games such as EA Sports UFC, WWE SuperCard, WWE Champions, and WWE Mayhem.

On January 17, 2019, she was confirmed as the voice actor for Sonya Blade in Mortal Kombat 11. On February 18, 2020, Rousey streamed for the first time on Facebook Gaming, donating all proceeds to charity. Most recently, on November 30, 2022, she was added as a playable character in the game Raid: Shadow Legends.

Graphic novels

Motivated by her desire to travel during her recovery from an injury sustained at WrestleMania, Rousey authored the graphic novel Expecting the Unexpected. This work was released in October 2025 through AWA Studios, featuring illustrations by Mike Deodato.

Personal life

By 2023, Rousey had established her residence in Venice, California.

Following the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Rousey adopted a vegan lifestyle, though in 2012 she described her eating habits as a combination of the Paleo and Warrior diets.

She has openly discussed challenges with body image stemming from martial arts stereotypes experienced during her school years, ultimately embracing both her body and identity.

In January 2013, Rousey uploaded—and subsequently removed—a video endorsing a conspiracy theory related to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which attracted significant public backlash. Her manager issued an apology on her behalf, and Rousey herself publicly apologized in 2024.

In 2015, she auctioned autographed T-shirts to support the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation.

That same year, Rousey traveled to Yerevan, Armenia, to commemorate the centennial of the Armenian genocide, including a visit to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial site.

She also endorsed Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential bid.

Relationships

Rousey previously dated UFC athlete Brendan Schaub. In August 2015, rumors linked her romantically to UFC fighter Travis Browne amid his domestic violence allegations. Browne confirmed their relationship in October 2015, and Rousey publicly acknowledged it the following day. The couple became engaged on April 20, 2017, in New Zealand and were married on August 28, 2017, in Hawaii. On April 21, 2021, Rousey announced her first pregnancy; she gave birth to a daughter named La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne on September 27, 2021. On July 25, 2024, she revealed her second pregnancy and welcomed another daughter, Liko’ula Pā’ūomahinakaipiha Browne, on January 9, 2025.

In her memoir My Fight / Your Fight, Rousey recounted an episode involving a former boyfriend she referred to as "Snappers McCreepy," who covertly took nude photographs of her prior to her initial fight against Miesha Tate. After confronting him physically, she deleted the images and wiped his hard drive. Concerned about unauthorized distribution of these photos, she later posed for ESPN magazine’s Body Issue to assert control over her public portrayal. This incident led to criticism from some quarters accusing her of domestic abuse.

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2014 The Expendables 3 Luna Maya
2015 Furious 7 Kara
Entourage Herself
2018 Mile 22 Sam Snow
2019 Tables Herself Short film
Charlie's Angels Fight Instructor Cameo
Through My Father's Eyes: The Ronda Rousey Story Herself
2023 Steve-O's Bucket List Direct-to-video; Guest appearance


Video games

Year Title Voice role Notes Ref.
2019 Mortal Kombat 11 Sonya Blade

Television

Year Title Role Notes Episode
2011 Honoo-no Taiiku-kai TV Herself
2016 Drunk History Gallus Mag Episode: "Scoundrels" S4 E5
Saturday Night Live Herself Host; Episode: Ronda Rousey/Selena Gomez S41 E11
2017 Blindspot Devon Penberthy Episode: "In Words, Drown I" S2 E20
2019 9-1-1 Lena Bosko Appeared in several episodes S3 E3, S3 E4, S3 E5, S3 E8
Total Divas Herself Season 9
2020 Game On!
2023 'Stars on Mars'

Judo

  • International Judo Federation
    • Earned numerous medals including Gold at the 2008 World Cup Senior and Silver at the 2007 World Judo Championships Senior
    • Secured Gold at the 2007 Pan American Games Senior division
    • Maintained consistent podium placements internationally from 2001 through 2008
  • Summer Olympic Games
    • Awarded Bronze in Women's 70 kg category at the 2008 Summer Olympics
  • USA Judo
    • Six-time USA Senior National Champion spanning 2004–2008 and again in 2010
    • Victorious at USA Senior Olympic Team Trials in both 2004 and 2008
    • Claimed multiple gold medals at US Open and Fall Classic events from 2003 to 2007

Other accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

  • Ultimate Fighting Championship
    • Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame (Modern Wing) in the Class of 2018
      • First woman to receive this honor
    • Held the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship title once as the inaugural champion
      • Defended the title successfully six times
        • Holds record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (6)
          • Second highest number of title defenses in UFC Women's history (6)
          • Second most victories in UFC Women's Bantamweight title fights (6)
        • Achieved most finishes in UFC Women's Bantamweight division title bouts (6)
          • Longest streak of finishes in UFC title fights overall (6)
          • Recorded second fastest finish in a UFC title fight ever (0:14 against Cat Zingano)
          • Fastest finish ever in a UFC Women's Bantamweight title fight (0:14 vs Cat Zingano)
        • Fastest women's title fight win in UFC history (0:14 vs Cat Zingano)
        • Shares record with Amanda Nunes for most knockouts in UFC Women's Bantamweight title fights (3)
          • Third quickest knockout in a UFC title fight (0:16 vs Alexis Davis)
          • Fastest knockout in UFC Women's Bantamweight division title fights (0:16 vs Alexis Davis)
        • Holds record for most submissions in UFC Women's Bantamweight title fights (3)
          • Fastest submission in any UFC title fight (0:14 vs Cat Zingano)
          • Fastest submission recorded in UFC Bantamweight division history during a title fight (0:14 vs Cat Zingano)
          • Tied with (B.J. Penn, Matt Hughes, and Khabib Nurmagomedov) for third place in most submissions across all UFC title fights (3)
        • Achieved second shortest cumulative time for three consecutive title defenses in UFC history at 189 days (behind Alex Pereira)
      • First female to become a UFC Champion
      • First Olympic medalist to capture a UFC championship belt
    • Awarded Fight of the Night twice (against Miesha Tate and Holly Holm)
    • Received Submission of the Night once (vs. Miesha Tate)
    • Earned Performance of the Night four times (vs. Cat Zingano, Sara McMann, Alexis Davis, and Bethe Correia)
      • Shares second place with (Mackenzie Dern) for most Post-Fight bonuses among UFC Women with seven awards (behind Jéssica Andrade)
      • Holds record for most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (7)
    • Achieved fastest finish recorded in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (0:14 vs Cat Zingano)
    • Recorded second fastest finish within UFC Women's Bantamweight history (0:16 vs Alexis Davis)
    • Notched fifth fastest finish within this division's history (0:34 vs Bethe Correia)
    • Holds record for fastest knockout in UFC Bantamweight division history (0:16 vs Alexis Davis)
    • Tied with (Mayra Bueno Silva) for most submissions ever recorded in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (3)
      • Holds record for fastest submission within UFC Bantamweight division history (0:14 vs Cat Zingano)
    • Most armbar finishes across UFC/WEC/Pride/Strikeforce combined history, totaling nine
    • Achieved six consecutive armbar finishes, a record across these organizations' histories
    • Winner of the inaugural women's bout held by UFC
    • Holds shortest average fight duration within UFC Women's Bantamweight division history at 3 minutes and 6 seconds
    • Second highest number of finishes recorded within this division's history (6)
    • Second longest winning streak within this weight class's history at six consecutive wins
    • Leads with highest average knockdowns per fifteen minutes within the division's history at 1.21
    • Tops submissions per fifteen minutes average within the division's history at 3.03
    • UFC.com Awards
      • Import of the Year in 2013; Half-Year recognitions include Best Newcomer, ranked #4 Submission of the Year, and #9 Fight of the Year
      • Ranked #2 Fighter of the Year in 2014; also awarded Best Fighter for half-year awards
      • Submission of the Year recipient in 2015
  • Strikeforce
    • Held Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship once as final champion
      • Successfully defended that title once
    • Honored twice as Female Submission of the Year, for 2011 and 2012
  • ESPN
    • Twice recipient of Best Female Athlete ESPY Award (2014, 2015)
    • Awarded Best Fighter ESPY Award in 2015
    • First MMA athlete to earn an ESPY Award
    • Submission of the Year awarded for performance against Miesha Tate on March 3, 2012
  • MMAJunkie.com
  • World MMA Awards
    • Three-time Female Fighter of the Year winner (2012, 2013, and 2014)
    • Earned Submission of the Year award for bout against Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in 2015
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
    • Twice named Best Box Office Draw (2014, 2015)
    • Twice recognized as Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable Fighter (2014, 2015)
    • Awarded Most Outstanding Fighter of the Year in 2014
  • Bleacher Report
    • Female Fighter of the Year for 2013
  • MMA Fighting
    • Fighter of the Year for 2012
  • Fight Matrix
    • Female Rookie of the Year for 2011
    • Female Fighter of the Year for three consecutive years: 2012, 2013, and 2014

Professional wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

|- | Loss | align=center|12–2 | Amanda Nunes | TKO (punches) | UFC 207 | | align=center|1 | align=center|0:48 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center|12–1 | Holly Holm | KO (head kick and punches) | UFC 193 | | align=center|2 | align=center|0:59 | Melbourne, Australia | |- | Win | align=center|12–0 | Bethe Correia | KO (punch) | UFC 190 | | align=center|1 | align=center|0:34 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- | Win | align=center|11–0 | Cat Zingano | Submission (straight armbar) | UFC 184 | | align=center|1 | align=center|0:14 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center|10–0 | Alexis Davis | KO (punches) | UFC 175 | 

| align=center |1 
| align=center |0:16 
| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 
|  
|-
| Win 
| align=center |9–0 
| Sara McMann 
| TKO (knee to the body) 
| UFC 170 
|  
| align=center |1 
| align=center |1:06 
| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 
|  
|-
| Win 
| align=center |8–0 
| Miesha Tate 
| Submission (armbar) 
| UFC 168 
|  
| align=center |3 
| align=center |0:58 
| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 
|  
|-
| Win 
| align=center |7–0 
| Liz Carmouche 
| Submission (armbar) 
| UFC 157 
|  
| align=center |1 
| align=center |4:49 
| Anaheim, California, United States 
|
|- 
 Win  
 align=center 6–0  
 Sarah Kaufman  
 Submission (armbar)  
 Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman  
   
 align=center 1  
 align=center 0:54  
 San Diego, California, United States  
   
|-  
 Win  
 align=center 5–0  
 Miesha Tate  
 Technical Submission (armbar)  
 Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey  
   
 align=center 1  
 align=center 4:27  
 Columbus, Ohio, United States  
   
|-  
  Win  
  align=center 4–0  
  Julia Budd  
  Submission (armbar)  
  Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers  
    
  align=center 1  
  align=center 0:39  
  Las Vegas, Nevada, United States  
|-   
  Win  
  align=center 3–0  
  Sarah D'Alelio  
  Technical Submission (armbar)  
  Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte  
    
  align=center 1  
  align=center 0:25  
  Las Vegas, Nevada, United States  
|-   
  Win   
  align=center 2–0   
  Charmaine Tweet   
  Submission (armbar)   
  HKFC: School of Hard Knocks 12   
     
  align=center 1   
  align=center 0:49   
  Calgary, Alberta, Canada   
     
|-   
  Win   
  align=center 1–0   
  Ediane Gomes   
  Submission (armbar)   
  KOTC: Turning Point   
     
  align=center 1   
  align=center 0:25   
  Tarzana, California, United States



|- Win align=center 3–0 Taylor Stratford Submission (armbar) Tuff-N-Uff - Las Vegas vs. 10th Planet Riverside

align=center 1 align=center 0:24 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |- Win align=center 2–0 Autumn Richardson Submission (armbar) Tuff-N-Uff - Future Stars of MMA

align=center 1 align=center 0:57 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |- Win align=center 1–0 Hayden Munoz Submission (armbar) CFL - Ground Zero

align=center 1 align=center 0:23 Oxnard, California, United States

Pay-per-view Events

No. Event Matchup Date Venue City PPV Purchases
1. UFC 157 Rousey vs. Carmouche February 23, 2013 Honda Center Anaheim, California, United States 450,000
2. UFC 170 Rousey vs. McMann February 22, 2014 Mandalay Bay Events Center Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 340,000
3. UFC 184 Rousey vs. Zingano February 28, 2015 Staples Center Los Angeles, California, United States 590,000
4. UFC 190 Rousey vs. Correia August 1, 2015 HSBC Arena Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 900,000
5. UFC 193 Rousey vs. Holm November 15, 2015 Docklands Stadium Melbourne, Australia 1,100,000
6. UFC 207 Nunes vs. Rousey December 30, 2016 T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 1,100,000
Aggregate sales 4,480,000

Olympic Judo Performance

Outcome Record Opponent Scoreline Competition Weight Class Date Location
Template:Yes2 Victory 6–3 Germany Annett Böhm 0010–0001 Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 70 kg
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
||rowspan=6 | Template:Country data CHNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Beijing
Template:Yes2 Victory 5–3 Template:Country data HUNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Anett Meszaros 1010–0000
Template:Yes2 Victory 4–3 Template:Country data ALGTemplate:Namespace detect showall Rachida Ouerdane 1001–0000
Template:No2 Defeat 3–3 Template:Country data NEDTemplate:Namespace detect showall Edith Bosch 0000–1000
Template:Yes2 Victory 3–2 Template:Country data POLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Katarzyna Pilocik 1000–0000
Template:Yes2 Victory 2–2 Template:Country data TKMTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nasiba Surkieva 1010–0000
Template:No2 Defeat ||align=center |1–2 || Template:Country data PRKTemplate:Namespace detect showallHong Ok-song || 0001–0010 ||rowspan=3 | Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics ||rowspan=3 align=center | Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 63 kg ||rowspan=3 |
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
Outcome Record Opponent Scoreline Competition Weight Class Date Location

||rowspan=3 | Template:Country data GRETemplate:Namespace detect showall Athens

Template:Yes2 Victory ||align=center |1–1 || Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Sarah Clark (judoka) ||1000–0001

Template:No2 Defeat ||align=center |0–1 || Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showall Claudia Heill || 0000–0010

Bibliography

  • Rousey, Ronda with Maria Burns Ortiz (2015). My Fight/Your Fight. New York: Regan Arts. ISBN 978-1-941-39326-0.
  • Rousey, Ronda with Maria Burns Ortiz (2024). Our Fight. New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-538-75737-6.

See also

External links




|-



|-


|-


|-

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named hiptoss
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sweep
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named yahoo
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named karim
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named mmajunkie
  6. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Ronda_Rousey&oldid=73733"