Ronda Rousey attracted many spectators to Mixed Martial Arts. Obviously, with the help from Dana White, she created a following for and an interest in viewing women fight in the UFC. Since early childhood, Ronda’s mother, AnnMaria De Mars, has been an extremely influential part of her life. Especially, in terms of being heavily interested in and practicing Judo. De Mars has won a World Judo Championship in 1984. Ronda began practicing Judo with her mother at the age of eleven years old. Then, at the age of 17 she won a Gold medal at the World Judo Juniors Championships. Eventually, Rousey was an Olympic Judo Bronze medalist in Beijing in 2008.
Even though Rousey was a horrible striker, she was a badass grappler. She even utilized Mark Coleman’s ground and pound technique. She won 9 out of her 12 career wins by armbar submission. This is including her UFC debut against the first openly gay MMA fighter, Liz Carmouche.
As stars rise, they must also fall eventually. Rousey’s first loss was to a former pro boxer – Holly Holm. She never recovered from this loss. Her next fight was against Amanda Nunes. Rousey lost to Nunes by TKO. This led her to never fight in the UFC again. Nor did she partake in fighting in Mixed Martial Arts at all.
Shortly after her back-to-back losses, she took a career move and joined the WWE. Several years after her move to the WWE, they became the sister organization to the UFC. After retiring from the UFC, Rousey married another former UFC fighter by the name of Travis Browne.
Ronda and Travis currently own and live on a meat ranch in Glendale, California. If you are interested in obtaining meat from them, you can get it delivered from Brouseyacres.com. Rousey and Browne seem to be enjoying living the good life on their cattle ranch.
Ronda Rousey was pivotal in introducing women’s fighting into the UFC, becoming it’s first female champion and a major star. Her success, supported by Dana White, significantly contributed to the growth and visibility of women in the sport. Rousey is a pioneer of the UFC. She will ultimately be remembered forever by spectators as the first woman fighter in the UFC.
MMA & Boxing Columnist | Business Development Consultant
I have been a fan and avid viewer of all combat sports for decades. I was once a Judoka, which is what eventually piqued my interest in Mixed Martial Arts. I have been a spectator of the UFC since 2001. For 25 years I’ve worked in healthcare, and now am trying to make something that was a hobby, into a full-time endeavor.