Ronda Rousey is known for giving certain women makeovers. This may not, however, be the type of makeover someone was hoping for. Sure, she’ll give those eyes a lovely hue purple and blue, and yes, those cheeks will definitely be rosy to compliment plump lips, but the 25-year-old, 145 pound bombshell is not going to use a brush. She will use her fists and feet. The California native has (literally) fought her way into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as its first female fighter.
Her career started at 17-years-old when Rousey qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games and won the Pan American Championship, as well as the Gold medal in the World Junior Judo Championship. In 2006 she took the Gold in Great Britain at the Birmingham World Cup, and claimed the Silver medal in the World Judo Championships in 2007. Needless to say, her Judo career left a definite mark (and a couple bruises) on the sport.
Later, Rousey joined the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) scene and began dishing out her fierce line of un-beauty products. During her MMA debut in 2010, she decided instead of a makeover she would take her opponent out to a bar, an arm-bar that is; making her opponent, Hayden Munoz, tap out in a flat 23 seconds. And if a 23 second tap-out isn’t convincing enough, just three days before her professional debut in 2011, Rousey was bitten in the foot by a pit bull which required nine stitches. She came out swinging nonetheless, and took Ediane Gomes down with an arm bar in 25 seconds. Rousey’s nickname, “Rowdy Ronda,” definitely fits her personality. In an interview with Attack of the Show host Kevin Pereira, she claimed that she is “the most dangerous unarmed woman in the world.” Known by many for her appetite for arm snapping, she definitely gives her opponents something to think about with her statement, “I can show you a non-photo shopped picture of a girls elbow lookin’ like a flamingo knee.”
After signing Rousey to the UFC, Dana White, President of Ultimate Fighting Championship, said, “She has the whole package. I’ve never been interested in women’s MMA. First, there were not enough good girls to create an entire division.” But Rousey has obviously changed his mind, as White said, “This girl is nasty, she might be beautiful on the outside, but she is a B.S. brother on the inside.” In the next two years, White has plans for at least three fights for Rousey, bringing a very different angle to the UFC Empire. One thing is for sure, any opponent stepping in to the octagon with Rousey had better bring some elbow grease. They might need a little help putting their arm back together.