Ronda Rousey - The Triple Threat
JUDOKA - OLYMPICS - UFC CHAMPION - WWE STAR
ARCHETYPE: THE TRIPLE THREAT
Day 86/135
Athletic Accomplishments
Ronda Rousey is one of the most accomplished, and certainly most famous MMA fighters of all-time.
In 1984, Rousey’s mom, AnnMaria De Mars was the first American to win a World Judo Championship. Three years later, De Mars gave birth to Ronda Rousey, who seemed destined and groomed to be a great fighter. But it wasn’t always or ever easy.
Until she was 6 years old, Rousey struggled with apraxia, a neurological condition that impeded her speech, making it impossible for her to form complete sentences.
By age 11, Rousey began practicing judo with her mom. At age 13, Rousey accidentally broke her mom’s wrist, meaning (a) she was already a beast and (b) it was time to move on to a new trainer.
At 17, Rousey was the youngest judoka to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games. She continued to improve in judo competitions, winning the silver medal in the middleweight division of the 2007 World Judo Championships and the gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. In 2008, she competed at the 2008 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal, the first American to win an Olympic medal in judo.
All of this is before she even started competing at MMA. That’s when her career really took off.
In 2010, Rousey began her MMA career as an amateur. In 2011, she turned professional and proved dominant, winning matches by submission, often in less than a minute. She took the Bantamweight title from Miesha Tate, becoming champion of Strikeforce.
In 2012, Rousey signed with UFC and became the first ever female UFC champion. She continued to literally kick ass and take names, defending her title six times and holding on to her belt for over 3 years.
Her win streak ended in 2015, when Rousey lost to Holly Holm in the second round. The following year, Rousey returned to the Octagon to fight new champion Amanda Nunes, who TKO’d Rousey in the first round.
While Rousey did not officially announce her retirement, she has yet to return to UFC. Instead, she signed with WWE, where she has wrestled her way to a championship title as Rowdy Ronday Rousey.
Character Archetype: The Triple Threat
Maybe you know Ronda Rousey from her three year undefeated reign of dominance as UFC’s Bantamweight champion. From being the first woman to sign with UFC. From defending her title six times and being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.
Or maybe you know her from her stint as Rowdy Ronda Rousey, a WWE wrestler, champion, and one of the Four Horsewomen. Rousey, who had been acting in parts big and small since 2014, was a huge draw for the pay-per-view audience looking for drama and excitement.
But maybe you didn’t know that Rousey started her career as an Olympic judo athlete. Maybe you didn’t know she won a bronze medal. Maybe you only saw the glitz, glamor, and garishness. But it wasn’t always about fame and fortune. Rousey fought to be included in the biggest fights because she’d been fighting without recognition for so long.