Ronda Rousey

Ronda Jean Rousey (/ˈraʊzi/ ROW-zee; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo by winning bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Lynn Roethke had previously won a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics. However, her medal was not counted toward the US medal count because Women's Judo was a demonstration sport. Rousey began her mixed martial arts (MMA) career with King of the Cage in 2011. She soon joined Strikeforce, becoming their last Women's Bantamweight Champion, holding the championship until the UFC acquired Strikeforce. Rousey was part of the UFC's first female fight at UFC 157, was their inaugural Women's Bantamweight Champion, and held the record for most UFC title defences (6) by a female until being surpassed by Valentina Shevchenko in 2022. Rousey retired from MMA in 2016 and was the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.