Rousey, Ronda (1987-…), is a former American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor and current wrestler. Before turning professional, Rousey was a leading American competitor in women’s judo. At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Rousey won a bronze medal in judo in the 70-kilogram class, becoming the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in that sport.
Ronda Jean Rousey was born on Feb. 1, 1987, in Riverside, California. She stands 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 meters) tall and weighs 135 pounds (61 kilograms). Rousey was inspired to take up judo by her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, who was a 1984 world judo champion. In 2004, Rousey won a gold medal at the World Junior Judo Championships. In 2007, she added a silver medal at the World Judo Championships and a gold medal at the Pan American Games.
Rousey made her MMA debut as an amateur in 2010. She won her first three matches before turning professional in 2011. In 2012, Rousey became the first female fighter to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion company. She became the UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion. Rousey held the title for three years before losing to Holly Holm in 2015. Rousey became known for her use of the “armbar” technique in UFC bouts. In this technique, a fighter takes hold of an opponent’s arm and applies pressure on the shoulder and elbow until the opponent submits (gives up).
In 2018, Rousey began a career in professional wrestling. She wrestles for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), an American professional wrestling organization. She won her first title, the Raw Championship, in 2018. The Raw title is one of two WWE women’s championship “brands,” along with the SmackDown title. Rousey won two SmackDown titles in 2022. She earned the nickname “Rowdy Ronda Rousey” with the WWE.
Rousey is also a successful actress and author. She appeared in the motion pictures The Expendables 3 (2014), Furious 7 (2015), and Mile 22 (2018). Together with one of her sisters, the journalist Maria Burns Ortiz, Rousey wrote an autobiography, My Fight / Your Fight (2015).
