Ronda Rouse is considered the most “dangerous” girl in the world, the queen of MMA (the most competitive and violent martial art).
Ronda Rousey sleeps in her small house in Venice Beach. She has a habit of sleeping naked, because it is the most peaceful way for Ronda Rousey to enjoy her life. It is completely opposite to when she steps out of that “nest” and into the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
Ronda Rousey, the undefeated fighter in MMA
At that time, Ronda Rousey was burning with anger, with eyes full of fighting fire. She was considered the queen of MMA (the most competitive and violent martial art). At the age of 28, Ronda Rousey had 4 years of dominating this “violent” sport with 3 amateur championships and 11 professional victories, in which many matches, she defeated her opponents in less than… 60 seconds.
Ronda Rousey is considered the “greatest athlete (in America)”, surpassing both LeBron and Mayweather. “She is like a beast. She is the greatest athlete I have ever worked with. Ronda Rousey is like Mike Tyson, they always know how to knock out their opponents in the fastest way” – UFC President, Dana White confided.
Ronda Rousey’s next fight in the “ring of life and death” with Bethe Correia will take place next August. Currently, she is actively training. Ronda Rousey enjoys the training sessions to the point of burning, as if the will to fight has seeped into the blood of this beautiful girl. Ronda Rousey was once a great Judo champion and won Olympic bronze medals, but life and the pressure of money forced her to give up Judo to move towards a much more “violent, risky” sport, which is MMA. Now, Ronda Rousey has it all, huge sums of money, the halo in the ring…
When Ronda Rousey first entered the ring in 2007, the UFC had no championship for female athletes. “I don’t want to see girls fighting in the ring,” Dana White told The Times in 2007. At that time, girls who wanted to “fight for money” like Ronda Rousey entered a smaller MMA tournament called Strikeforce. That tournament has been the starting point for many great fighters such as Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.
After that, Ronda Rousey won an amateur MMA championship (with a victory within 2 minutes). “I always wanted to break every girl’s arm, I don’t feel sorry for my actions” – Ronda Rousey shared.
In 2012, Ronda Rousey made history with an armbar on Miesha Tate. The stunning strike was later awarded Strikeforce’s “Submission of the Year.” The win also helped Ronda Rousey win the bantamweight championship, a record five wins in a row.
“He won’t lose because he can’t lose. When he can’t lose, he’s a winner” – that’s the logic of AnnMaria De Mars, Ronda Rousey’s mother, who used to be a Judo fighter. All of this has been proven by Ronda Rousey. She defeated Cat Zingano with an armbar in just 14 seconds, the fastest victory in the 21-year history of the UFC. With that victory, Ronda Rousey “pocketed” $130,000.
The first person not to be knocked out by Ronda Rousey in the first round was Miesha Tate in the 2013 rematch. However, in the end, her opponent was knocked out by Ronda Rousey in the third round. Afterwards, Miesha Tate reached out to Ronda Rousey but she refused to shake her hand, accompanied by Ronda Rousey swearing and giving Miesha Tate the middle finger. This action of Ronda Rousey created mixed reactions but in response, Ronda Rousey said: “I like to react that way”.
Miesha Tate later went on television and said: “I admire her as an outstanding athlete, but I don’t like the disrespectful reaction. That’s the bad side of Ronda Rousey. She looked so uncomfortable.”
Behind Ronda Rousey’s halo is a life full of… secrets
However, on the other hand, besides that rough and unpleasant appearance, Ronda Rousey is extremely funny. In 2013, during the match with Liz Carmouche, at one point, Ronda Rousey’s bra was almost pulled to one side. Sharing about that moment, Ronda Rousey jokingly said: “I have sexy bras because after all, I’m a girl and I always want to be sexy in the eyes of everyone. In the match, who cares about sexy? People only think about efficiency but I don’t have any bras that are effective, only 2 sexy ones, and I wear them.”
The person who had the biggest influence on Ronda Rousey’s career was her mother AnnMaria De Mars, a former Judo fighter and the first American to win a world championship. She always expected Ronda Rousey to be her successor. So instead of letting her daughter go to fun parties, she focused Ronda Rousey on training sessions. At the age of 16, Ronda Rousey’s arms began to show muscles and she was teased by her schoolmates as “Miss Man”. Since then, Ronda Rousey has always appeared in long-sleeved shirts to cover her muscles. “Even if it’s 85 degrees, I won’t take it off,” Ronda Rousey shared.
However, she could not hide the wounds on her ear, which were a mark after each battle and always made Ronda Rousey confused at school. Later, when she became undefeated, and those (girl) weaknesses did not hinder Ronda Rousey, she encountered another obstacle. She shared: “I am like the Lord of the Rings, with few allies and an ever-growing list of enemies.”
To pursue a Judo career (before switching to MMA) as her mother wished, Ronda Rousey had to drop out of school. At the age of 17, she became the youngest Judo athlete to participate in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. 4 years later, she returned with the feat of winning a Judo bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. However, in return for those efforts was poverty. The day Ronda Rousey brought back glory, the reward she received from the US Olympic Committee was only “handshakes”. After that glory, Ronda Rousey worked in bars to make a living. That was the turning point, causing her to turn to MMA to change her life.
Since 2010, another major influence on her career has been Edmond Tarverdyan, a former Muay Thai athlete and Ronda Rousey’s direct trainer. Speaking about Ronda Rousey, coach Edmond Tarverdyan expressed his admiration: “Ronda Rousey was born to fight. She beats everyone.”
Up to this point, the matches in the UFC ring still bring Ronda Rousey fame and money (still undefeated) but in return, she has had to sacrifice too much. For girls like Ronda Rousey, love is a luxury. In her, there is always the struggle of eccentricity in attractive appearance, besides the struggle of… gender.
