"Ronda Rousey"
Ronda Jean Rousey (born February 1, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and judoka. She is the first and current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, as well as the last Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She has defeated all of her opponents by armbar. Rousey became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008.
Rousey trains under Gokor Chivichyan of the Hayastan MMA Academy, and Edmond Tarverdyan of the Glendale Fighting Club. She formerly trained at the Olympic Training Center in Wakefield, Massachusetts, under guidance of Jimmy Pedro and is now part of Team Hayastan in Santa Monica, California. Rousey also trains with Romanian Leo Frîncu and Gene Lebell, along with Team Hayastan fighters such as Manny Gamburyan, Karen Darabedyan, Karo Parisyan and Sako Chivitchian. She is managed by Darin Harvey of Fight Tribe MMA. In July 2012, Rousey enlisted former undefeated boxing and kickboxing champion Lucia Rijker as striking coach.
Rousey is the consensus #1 pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world, according to MMARising, MMAWeekly, and other publications. She is ranked #1 at 135 pounds according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings. As of January 27, 2014, she is the #9 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
Rousey will star in the films The Expendables 3 and Fast & Furious 7, which will mark her first feature film roles.
Rousey was born in Riverside County, California. She is the daughter of Ron Rousey and AnnMaria De Mars (née Waddell). Her mother had a decorated Judo career and was the first American to win a World Judo Championship with her victory in 1984. Rousey's maternal grandfather was Venezuelan, and was of part Afro-Venezuelan ancestry. Her other ancestry includes English and Polish. Her step-father is an aerospace engineer.
Rousey was raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. She retired from her judo career at 21, and began her MMA career at 22 because she realized she did not want to work in a conventional field of work for the rest of her life.
At 17, Rousey qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, becoming the youngest judoka in the entire Games. Also in 2004, Rousey won a gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
In April 2006, she became the first female U.S. judoka in nearly 10 years to win an A-Level tournament as she went 5-0 to claim gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain. Later that year, the 19-year-old won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships, becoming the first U.S. athlete ever to win two Junior World medals.
In February 2007, Rousey moved up to 70 kg where she is currently ranked as one of the top three women in the world. She won the silver medal at the 2007 World Judo Championships in the middleweight division and the gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games.
In August 2008, Rousey competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She lost her quarterfinal to the Dutch ex-world champion Edith Bosch but qualified for a Bronze medal match through the repechage bracket. Rousey defeated Annett Boehm by Yuko to win a bronze medal (note: Judo offers two bronze medals per weight class). With the victory, Rousey became the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's judo since its inception as an Olympic sport in 1992.
Rousey made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur on August 6, 2010. She defeated Hayden Munoz by submission due to an armbar in 23 seconds.
She entered the quarterfinals of the Tuff-N-Uff 145 lbs women's tournament on November 12, 2010 and submitted promotional veteran 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. She then announced plans to turn pro and was replaced in the tournament.
Rousey made her professional mixed martial arts debut on March 27, 2011 at King of the Cage: Turning Point. She submitted 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. She submitted Tweet with an armbar in 49 seconds. Rousey has a 3-0 amateur winning record in amateur MMA competition, all fights combined were under 2 minutes.
In 2013, Rousey's status as a top MMA fighter led to multiple commercial partnerships. In April, she was featured in a 30-second commercial for American mobile network operator MetroPCS. In June, she performed as the insureon Protector in a two-minute spot for small-business insurance agency insureon.
Rousey is notable for introducing trash talking to Women's MMA. In many interviews Rousey has used harsh language and openly downplayed the abilities of her opponents, which she explains as a way to generate more publicity for the sport.
Rousey was scheduled to make her Strikeforce debut against Sarah D'Alelio on July 30, 2011 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The fight was pushed back and eventually took place on the Strikeforce Challengers 18 main card on August 12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rousey defeated D'Alelio by technical submission due to an armbar early in the first round. The victory was controversial as referee Steve Mazzagatti only stopped the fight because D’Alelio appeared to make a brief sound. According to instructions given to fighters before they compete, this is typically deemed to be a verbal submission. Mazzagatti initially did nothing, but after Rousey looked at him and stated that D’Alelio had submitted, he stopped the fight. D'Alelio admitted after the fight that she let out a verbal indication of pain.
Rousey faced Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers 20 on November 18, 2011 in Las Vegas. She won via submission due to an armbar in the first round, dislocating Budd's elbow in the process. Following the fight, she announced plans to move down to 135 pounds to challenge Miesha Tate, the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion at the time, with whom she had developed a much-publicized rivalry.
Rousey challenged Tate for her Strikeforce title on March 3, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. She defeated Tate by submission due to an armbar in the first round, again dislocating her opponent's elbow, to become the new Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Rousey appeared in All Access: Ronda Rousey on Showtime. The half-hour special debuted on August 8, 2012. UFC President Dana White revealed during the programme that "In the next 10 years, if there's a woman in the octagon, it's probably going to be Ronda Rousey." The second installment of the special aired on August 15, 2012. Ronda also appeared on Conan.
Rousey defended her Strikeforce title against Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman on August 18, 2012 in San Diego, California. Rousey said that she would throw Kaufman's arm at her corner after ripping it off with an armbar, and threatened to choke or pound Kaufman's face to death. During the fight, Rousey would quickly take down Kaufman and submit her with an armbar in just 54 seconds to retain the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship. After the fight, Rousey announced that if former Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos wanted to fight her, it would have to take place at bantamweight.
In November 2012, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that Rousey had become the first female fighter to sign with the UFC.
UFC President Dana White officially announced at the UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz pre-fight press conference that Rousey was the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Rousey defended her title against Liz Carmouche on February 23, 2013 at UFC 157. Despite being caught in an early standing face crank attempt from Carmouche, Rousey got out of it and successfully defended her Bantamweight Championship title, winning the fight at 4:49 into the first round by submission due to an armbar.
After Cat Zingano defeated Miesha Tate at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Finale, Dana White announced that Zingano would be a coach of The Ultimate Fighter 18 against Rousey.
On May 28, it was announced that Zingano would not be a coach and opponent for Rousey after Zingano suffered a knee injury earlier that same month which would require surgery; therefore, Miesha Tate instead would coach on The Ultimate Fighter 18 against Rousey.
Rousey faced Miesha Tate, in a rematch from Strikeforce, at UFC 168 on December 28, 2013. After going past the first two rounds, with Tate surviving an armbar attempt and a triangle attempt, Rousey finally submitted Tate via armbar in the third round to retain her Bantamweight Championship.
It was announced at the UFC 168 post-fight press conference that Rousey will defend the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against fellow Olympic Medalist and undefeated fighter, Sara McMann in the main event at UFC 170 on February 22, 2014.
Explaining about her signature armbar, Rousey said that her judoka mother jumped on her every morning to wake her up with armbars.
Rousey appeared nude on the cover ESPN The Magazine's 2012 Body Issue and in a pictorial therein. Touching upon the strategic cropping, poses and arm placement used in the photos to make them less revealing, Rousey explained, "With all these ring girls and their vaginas – all of this goes back to advice my mom gave me. She gave me this one piece of advice, which I still hold dear. She said, 'Look, whatever pictures you put out there are gonna be out there forever, so just think that one day your 12 or 13-year-old son or daughter is going to see those pictures. Whatever you want your son or daughter, or even your 13-year-old little sister to see, keep that in mind.' So, whatever I’m not gonna show on a beach, I'm not gonna show in a magazine. These girls are going to have to explain to their kids one day why mommy's ass and vagina are all over the place." Her rival Miesha Tate criticized Rousey's comments as "hypocritical", arguing that Rousey's comments about ring girls constituted a double standard. In July 2012, Rousey also criticized the employment of Kim Kardashian as a spokesperson, saying, "I don't want some girl whose entire fame is based on [appearing in] a sex video to be selling Skechers to my 13-year-old little sister." That same month, she also criticized fellow Olympian Michael Phelps, for not congregating with the other American athletes during the 2008 Summer Olympics and during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
In May 2013, Rousey was ranked 29 on the Maxim Hot 100. She also appeared on the cover and in a pictorial of the September 2013 issue.
On July 23, 2013, Sylvester Stallone announced via his official Twitter account that Rousey will star in The Expendables 3, marking her first role in a major motion picture. On August 9, Dwayne Johnson announced that Rousey would appear in Fast & Furious 7.
Rousey was formerly a vegan but describes her current diet as, "kind of a mix between a Paleo and a Warrior diet."
She originally opposed using the nickname her friends gave her, "Rowdy", feeling it would be disrespectful to pro wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. After meeting him through Gene LeBell (who helped train both), Piper personally gave his approval.
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship (First; current)
Two successful title defenses
Fight of the Night (One time)
Submission of the Night (One time)
First woman to win a UFC "Submission of the Night" Award
First woman to be in the UFC pound-for-pound ranking
First woman to headline a UFC Event (together with Liz Carmouche)
First woman to win a UFC fight
First Olympic medalist to hold a UFC title
First female UFC champion
First woman to defend a UFC title
First woman to win a UFC fight by submission
First woman to be a coach on a season of The Ultimate Fighter (together with Miesha Tate)
Strikeforce
Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time; last)
One successful title defense
Female's Submission of the year two years in a row (2011 & 2012)
World MMA Awards
2012 Female Fighter of the Year
Women's MMA Awards
2013 Female Bantamweight of the Year
2013 Female Headline of the Year ("Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche Become First Women to Compete/Headline a UFC Event")
2012 Female Fighter of the Year
2012 Female Bantamweight of the Year
2012 Female Headline of the Year ("Ronda Rousey Signs with the UFC")
2011 Female Fighter of the Year
2011 Female Featherweight of the Year
2011 Female Newcomer of the Year
Sherdog
2012 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
2012 All-Violence 2nd Team
ESPN
2012 Submission of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on March 3
MMAFighting.com
2012 Fighter of the Year
2012 Submission of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on March 3
MMAValor.com
2012 Submission of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on March 3
2013 Female Fighter of the Year
Inside MMA
2013 Female Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award
2012 Female Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award
2011 Female Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award
MiddleEasy
2012 Frate Trane of the Year
2011 No-Tap Submission of the Year vs. Julia Budd on November 18
BJPenn.com
2012 WMMA Fighter of the Year
2012 WMMA Submission of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on March 3
On The Mat
2011 Breakthrough MMA Fighter of the Year
Fight Matrix.com
2013 Female Fighter of the Year
2012 Female Fighter of the Year
2011 Female Rookie of the Year
Examiner.com
2012 Fighter of the year
Yahoo! Sports.com
2013 Female Fighter of the Year
2013 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
MMA Nuts.com
2013 Female Fighter of the Year
The MMA Corner.com
2012 Female Fighter of the Year
2013 Female Fighter of the Year
Bleacher Report
2013 WMMA Fighter of the Year
AwakeningFighters.com WMMA Awards
2013 Fighter of the Year
2013 Bantamweight Fighter of the Year
2013 Inspirational Fighter of the Year
2013 Fight of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on December 28
MMA-Manifesto.com
2012 Submission of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on March 3
Judo
Summer Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics Senior Bronze Medalist
International Judo Federation
2008 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
2008 Belgian Ladies Open Senior Bronze Medalist
2007 Jigoro Kano Cup Senior Silver Medalist
2007 Finnish Open Senior Gold Medalist
2007 World Judo Championships Senior Silver Medalist
2007 German Open Senior Bronze Medalist
2007 Pan American Games Senior Gold Medalist
2007 Pan American Championships Senior Bronze Medalist
2007 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
2007 British Open Senior Gold Medalist
2006 Finnish Open Senior Bronze Medalist
2006 Swedish Open Senior Gold Medalist
2006 World Judo Championships Junior Bronze Medalist
2006 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
2006 Pan American Championships Senior Silver Medalist
2006 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
2006 Belgian Ladies Open Senior Gold Medalist
2005 Ontario Open Senior Gold Medalist
2005 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
2005 Pan American Championships Senior Gold Medalist
2004 Ontario Open Senior Gold Medalist
2004 Ontario Open Junior Gold Medalist
2004 World Judo Championships Junior Gold Medalist
2004 Rendez-Vous Senior Bronze Medalist
2004 Pan American Championships Senior Gold Medalist
2003 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
2001 Coupe Canada Senior Cup Gold Medalist
USA Judo
USA Senior National Championship (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)
USA Senior Olympic Team Trials Winner (2004, 2008)
2007 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
2006 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
2006 USA Fall Classic Senior Gold Medalist
2006 US Open Junior Gold Medalist
2005 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
2005 US Open Junior Silver Medalist
2004 US Open Senior Bronze Medalist
2003 US Open Senior Silver Medalist
2003 USA Fall Classic Senior Gold Medalist
2002 US Open Junior Gold Medalist
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8–0 | Miesha Tate | Submission (armbar) | UFC 168 | December 28, 2013 | 3 | 0:58 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship; Fight of the Night; Submission of the Night. |
| Win | 7–0 | Liz Carmouche | Submission (armbar) | UFC 157 | February 23, 2013 | 1 | 4:49 | Anaheim, California, United States | Defended UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship; UFC debut. |
| Win | 6–0 | Sarah Kaufman | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman | August 18, 2012 | 1 | 0:54 | San Diego, California, United States | Defended Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship; Promoted to UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | Miesha Tate | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey | March 3, 2012 | 1 | 4:27 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Won Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship; Women's Submission of the Year (2012). Bantamweight debut. |
| Win | 4–0 | Julia Budd | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce Challengers 20 | November 18, 2011 | 1 | 0:39 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Women's Submission of the Year (2011). |
| Win | 3–0 | Sarah D'Alelio | Submission (armbar) | Strikeforce Challengers 18 | August 12, 2011 | 1 | 0:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Charmaine Tweet | Submission (armbar) | HKFC - School of Hard Knocks 12 | June 17, 2011 | 1 | 0:49 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Catchweight of 150 pounds. |
| Win | 1–0 | Ediane Gomes | Submission (armbar) | KOTC - Turning Point | March 27, 2011 | 1 | 0:25 | Tarzana, California, United States |
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