Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is an American professional wrestler. She is currently part of WWE's SmackDown brand. She is also an actress and mixed martial artist best known for her time in UFC.

📜 Ronda Rousey History

With a background in martial arts that started at the age of 11, Ronda Rousey has forged a groundbreaking career in combat sports and entertainment. Rousey burst on to the scene in 2004, when she became the youngest judoka to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens. Four years later, she defeated Annett Boehm to win a bronze medal in Beijing, becoming the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's judo in the process. 

After a sparkling amatuer career that also included gold medals in the Pan-American Games, Pan-American Championships, and World Juniors Championships, Rousey moved into the world of professional martial arts, and joined Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2012. In the 6 years that followed, Rousey carved out one of the most successful mixed martial arts careers in history. Among her achievements, Rousey was part of UFC's first ever female fight, won the inaugural Women's Bantamweight Championship, and held the record for most UFC title defenses by a women until 2022. She became the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. 

After leaving UFC in 2018, Rousey joined WWE, making her debut at WrestleMania 34. Rousey has since gone on to win the Raw Women's Championship, SmackDown Women's Championship, and 2022 Royal Rumble. Leaning on her mixed martial arts skills, Rousey brings a highly technical and deeply physical style to the WWE ring. Her wrestling nickname "Rowdy Ronda" references former WWE star Rowdy Roddy Piper.

A generational combat sports talent, Ronda Rousey is the first (and at present, only) woman to be a champion in both UFC and WWE. Like a number of WWE performers, Rousey's star-power extends beyond the squared-circle, and has seen her branch out into the wider world of entertainment, featuring in films like The Expendables, Furious 7, and Mile 22.