Ronda Rousey is a former judoka and MMA artist, known for her success in UFC and WWE. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo and has achieved multiple championships in WWE.
Ronda Rousey played a significant role in popularizing women's MMA.
In 1984, she made history by becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo, following her mother's footsteps.
Ronda Rousey was born in Riverside, California, as the youngest of three daughters. Her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, was a decorated judoka and the first American to win a World Judo Championship.
Details about Ronda Rousey's tough childhood are mentioned on this day.
In 2002, the individual won the gold medal in the Junior category at the US Open.
The individual emerged as the gold medalist in the Senior division at the USA Fall Classic in 2003.
Ronda Rousey started her Judo career on April 24, 2004.
The individual secured the gold medal in the Senior division at the 2005 US Open.
In April 2006, Ronda Rousey made history by becoming the first female U.S. judoka in nearly a decade to win an A-Level tournament. She claimed gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain.
In February 2007, Ronda Rousey won the gold medal at the Pan American Games, solidifying her position as one of the top three women in the world in the 70 kg category.
Ronda Rousey achieved the silver medal at the 2007 World Judo Championships, showcasing her exceptional skills and talent in the sport.
Ronda Rousey won a bronze medal in the 63–70 kg (middleweight) women's judo event at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Ronda Rousey's Judo career came to an end in 2008. She had a successful journey in Judo, being selected for the US Olympic Team and achieving top rankings in various championships.
On August 1, 2010, a new chapter began in Ronda's life.
Rousey made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur on August 6, 2010, defeating Hayden Munoz by submission due to an armbar in 23 seconds.
Rousey entered the quarterfinals of the Tuff-N-Uff 145 lbs women's tournament on November 12, 2010, and submitted Autumn Richardson with an armbar in 57 seconds.
Rousey faced Taylor Stratford in the Tuff-N-Uff tournament semi-finals on January 7, 2011, and won by technical submission due to an armbar in 24 seconds.
Rousey made her professional mixed martial arts debut on March 27, 2011, at King of the Cage: Turning Point, submitting Ediane Gomes with an armbar in 25 seconds.
Rousey faced kickboxing champion Charmaine Tweet in an MMA bout at Hard Knocks Fighting Championship: School of Hard Knocks 12 on June 17, 2011, in Calgary, Canada, submitting Tweet with an armbar in 49 seconds.
Rousey's scheduled debut against Sarah D'Alelio was postponed and eventually took place on the Strikeforce Challengers 18 main card. Rousey won by technical submission with an armbar in the first round, amidst controversy over the verbal submission.
Rousey faced Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers 20 and won via submission with an armbar in the first round, dislocating Budd's elbow. This victory led to her announcement of moving down to 135 pounds to challenge Miesha Tate.
On March 3, 2012, Ronda Rousey achieved a significant milestone in her career by becoming the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion after defeating Miesha Tate in a short span of 4 minutes and 27 seconds.
Rousey appeared in the half-hour special All Access: Ronda Rousey on Showtime, which debuted on August 8, 2012. The program featured insights into Rousey's life and career, with UFC President Dana White expressing high praise for her future in the sport.
Rousey defended her Strikeforce title against Sarah Kaufman in San Diego, California. Rousey quickly took Kaufman down and submitted her with an armbar in 54 seconds to retain the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship.
On February 23, 2013, Ronda Rousey made history by winning the fight against Liz Carmouche in the first round with her signature armbar. This victory crowned her as the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Due to Cat Zingano's knee injury, Miesha Tate replaced her as a coach of The Ultimate Fighter 18 against Rousey.
Rousey faced Miesha Tate in a rematch from Strikeforce at UFC 168. After surviving armbar and triangle attempts, Rousey submitted Tate via armbar in the third round to retain her Bantamweight Championship.
Rousey defended the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Sara McMann at UFC 170. She won the fight by TKO with a knee to the body, marking her first career win via a method other than armbar.
Ronda Rousey was dominating her fights in the UFC, including a rematch against Tate in 2013 where she maintained her winning streak. By 2014, her record was 8-0-0, solidifying her reputation as the world's baddest woman.
Rousey and her group, The Four Horsewomen, were acknowledged at WWE's SummerSlam event in the front row. They also met with Paul Heyman backstage during the event.
Rousey defeated Cat Zingano with an armbar in 14 seconds at UFC 184, making it the shortest match in UFC championship history at that time.
Ronda Rousey's fame as the world's baddest woman led her to venture into Hollywood, where she starred in the popular action franchise, the Fast and the Furious.
Rousey fought Bethe Correia at UFC 190, winning by knockout 34 seconds into the first round. She dedicated the match to 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, one of her inspirations.
Ronda Rousey faced Holly Holm in UFC 193 and suffered her first-ever UFC defeat, ending her unbeaten record. Holm's victory shocked the world and put an end to Rousey's winning streak.
Rousey faced Holly Holm in her seventh title defense at UFC 193 on November 15, 2015. Despite being a favorite, Rousey was knocked out by Holm with a head kick in round two, losing her title and undefeated streak.
Ronda Rousey hosted the January 23, 2016, episode of Saturday Night Live with musical guest Selena Gomez.
Ronda Rousey's highly anticipated return to MMA ended in a devastating loss to Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds. Nunes' powerful punches overwhelmed Rousey, leading to her second consecutive TKO defeat and possibly marking the end of her MMA career.
On April 20, 2017, Rousey got engaged to Travis Browne in New Zealand.
On August 28, 2017, Rousey and Travis Browne tied the knot in Hawaii.
On January 28, 2018, Ronda Rousey confirmed her move to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) by appearing at the WWE women's Royal Rumble match. This marked a significant shift in her career from mixed martial arts to professional wrestling.
Ronda Rousey made her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 in a mixed tag team match alongside Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. She secured the win for her team by submitting McMahon with her trademark armbar submission hold.
A timeline highlighting 17 key moments in Ronda Rousey's journey leading up to WrestleMania. The article provides a detailed account of significant events in her career.
Ronda Rousey got her first opportunity at the Raw Women's Championship at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. She won the match by disqualification after interference by Alexa Bliss, who cashed in her Money in the Bank contract to win the title instead.
Rousey was confirmed as a pre-order bonus character in the video game WWE 2K19, marking her presence in the world of gaming.
Ronda Rousey won the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam by defeating Alexa Bliss. This victory marked her first championship win in WWE.
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship by submitting Alexa Bliss in a rematch at Hell in a Cell. This victory solidified her position as the champion.
Rousey defended her championship against Nikki Bella in the main event of the first all women's pay-per-view, Evolution.
Rousey faced Charlotte Flair at Survivor Series after Becky Lynch was injured, winning via disqualification.
Rousey gained revenge against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch at TLC by pushing them off a ladder during their match.
Rousey was announced as the voice actor for the character Sonya Blade in the video game Mortal Kombat 11.
Rousey retained her title against Bayley on the January 28, 2019, episode of Raw.
Rousey faced Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a Winner Takes All match at WrestleMania 35, where Lynch controversially pinned Rousey to win both titles.
While filming for the third season of Fox's 9-1-1 series, Rousey injured two fingers after her left hand got jammed in a boat door. She had to undergo surgery to mend her middle finger with a metal plate and screws.
Rousey conducted her first streaming session on Facebook Gaming and donated all the profits to charity.
On April 21, 2021, Rousey revealed on her YouTube channel that she was four months pregnant with her first child.
On September 27, 2021, Rousey welcomed her first child, a girl named La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne.
Ronda Rousey made a comeback to WWE at the Royal Rumble event in 2022. She entered the Women's Royal Rumble match as the 28th participant, eliminating several competitors and earning a championship match at WrestleMania 38.
At WrestleMania 38, Ronda Rousey faced Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship but was defeated, ending her undefeated singles streak and giving her second loss.
In a rematch at WrestleMania Backlash, Ronda Rousey emerged victorious against Charlotte Flair, winning the SmackDown Women's Championship for the second time.
At SummerSlam, Ronda Rousey faced Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women's Championship but lost in controversial fashion, leading to Rousey turning heel for the first time since 2019.
Ronda Rousey won a rematch against Liv Morgan at Extreme Rules, reclaiming the SmackDown Women's Championship for the second time.
Rousey was added as a playable character to the popular game Raid: Shadow Legends.
Rousey returned to WWE on the February 10 episode of SmackDown to assist Shayna Baszler in attacking Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox, marking the beginning of their alliance.
At WrestleMania 39, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler emerged victorious in the women's WrestleMania Showcase fatal four-way tag team match despite Rousey's limited involvement due to a fractured elbow.
Rousey and Baszler secured the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship by winning a fatal four-way tag team match on the May 29 episode of Raw, with Rousey also achieving the status of the eighth WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion.
On the June 23 episode of SmackDown, Rousey and Baszler defeated Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn to unify the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championships, leading to the retirement of the latter.
Ronda Rousey returned from retirement on October 26, 2023, teaming up with Marina Shafir to defeat her trainer Brian Kendrick and Taya Valkyrie at a Lucha VaVoom event.
On the October 28 episode of SmackDown, Ronda Rousey successfully defended her title against Emma in an open challenge.
Following her Wrestling Revolver debut, Ronda Rousey made her Ring of Honor (ROH) debut on November 17, 2023, teaming with Shafir to defeat Athena and Starkz in a rematch.
At Survivor Series: WarGames on November 26, Ronda Rousey retained her title by defeating Shotzi with assistance from Shayna Baszler.
After successfully defending her title against Raquel Rodriguez, Ronda Rousey was challenged by Charlotte Flair to an impromptu match. Rousey accepted the challenge but ended up losing the title to Flair in under a minute, ending her second reign at 83 days.
Ronda Rousey, a pioneer in women's MMA, expresses that it still hurts her not to be recognized as 'The Greatest Ever' in the sport.