Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Ronda Rousey
How Ronda Rousey built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Ronda Rousey is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She gained prominence in mixed martial arts, specifically in the UFC, before transitioning to professional wrestling with WWE. Rousey is a notable figure in combat sports and entertainment.
1978: Cathy Davis on The Ring magazine cover
In 1978, Cathy Davis appeared on the cover of the The Ring magazine, being the first woman to do so.
2004: Olympic Qualification and World Judo Juniors Championship
In 2004, at 17, Ronda Rousey was the youngest judoka to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens. Also that year, Rousey won a gold medal at the World Judo Juniors Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
April 2006: Birmingham World Cup Gold Medal
In April 2006, Ronda Rousey became the first female U.S. judoka in nearly 10 years to win an A-Level tournament by claiming gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain.
February 2007: Ranked Among Top Judo Women
In February 2007, Ronda Rousey moved up to 70 kg and was ranked as one of the top three women in the world in Judo.
August 2008: 2008 Olympic Games
In August 2008, Ronda Rousey competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She won a bronze medal, becoming the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's judo since its inception as an Olympic sport.
2008: Decision to Start MMA
After the 2008 Olympics, Ronda Rousey decided to start MMA through Team Hayastan.
2008: Olympic Bronze Medal
In 2008, Ronda Rousey won a bronze medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first American woman to achieve this feat.
August 6, 2010: Mixed martial arts debut
On August 6, 2010, Ronda Rousey made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur. She defeated Hayden Munoz by submission due to an armbar in 23 seconds.
November 12, 2010: Tuff-N-Uff Quarterfinals
On November 12, 2010, Ronda Rousey entered the quarterfinals of the Tuff-N-Uff 145 lbs women's tournament and submitted Autumn Richardson with an armbar in 57 seconds.
January 7, 2011: Tuff-N-Uff Semi-Finals and Turning Pro
On January 7, 2011, Ronda Rousey faced Taylor Stratford in the Tuff-N-Uff tournament semi-finals and won by technical submission. She then announced plans to turn pro.
March 27, 2011: Professional MMA Debut
On March 27, 2011, Ronda Rousey made her professional mixed martial arts debut at King of the Cage: Turning Point. She submitted Ediane Gomes with an armbar in 25 seconds.
June 17, 2011: Hard Knocks Fighting Championship
On June 17, 2011, Ronda Rousey faced Charmaine Tweet at Hard Knocks Fighting Championship: School of Hard Knocks 12 in Calgary, Canada, submitting Tweet with an armbar in 49 seconds.
July 30, 2011: Scheduled Strikeforce Debut (Postponed)
On July 30, 2011, Ronda Rousey was originally scheduled to make her Strikeforce debut against Sarah D'Alelio at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, but the fight was postponed.
November 18, 2011: Strikeforce Challengers 20 Victory
On November 18, 2011, Ronda Rousey faced Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers 20 in Las Vegas. She won via submission due to an armbar in the first round, dislocating Budd's elbow in the process.
2011: MMA Career Begins
In 2011, Ronda Rousey started her mixed martial arts (MMA) career with King of the Cage.
March 3, 2012: Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship
On March 3, 2012, Ronda Rousey challenged Miesha Tate for her Strikeforce title in Columbus, Ohio. She defeated Tate by submission due to an armbar in the first round, becoming the new Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion.
August 8, 2012: All Access: Ronda Rousey Debut
On August 8, 2012, Ronda Rousey appeared in "All Access: Ronda Rousey" on Showtime. UFC President Dana White predicted her significant role in women's UFC in the next decade.
August 15, 2012: All Access: Ronda Rousey Second Installment
On August 15, 2012, the second installment of "All Access: Ronda Rousey" aired. Ronda Rousey also appeared on Conan.
August 18, 2012: Strikeforce Title Defense
On August 18, 2012, Ronda Rousey defended her Strikeforce title against Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman in San Diego, California. She retained her championship by submitting Kaufman with an armbar in 54 seconds.
November 2012: Signing with UFC
In November 2012, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced that Ronda Rousey had become the first female fighter to sign with the UFC and was the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
2012: Nude appearance in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue
In 2012, Ronda Rousey appeared nude on the cover of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue and in a pictorial featured within the magazine.
February 23, 2013: UFC 157 Title Defense
On February 23, 2013, at UFC 157, Ronda Rousey defended her Bantamweight Championship title against Liz Carmouche, winning by submission due to an armbar in the first round. Carmouche dislocated Ronda Rousey's jaw during the fight.
December 28, 2013: UFC 168 Rematch
On December 28, 2013, Ronda Rousey faced Miesha Tate at UFC 168 in a rematch from Strikeforce. Rousey submitted Tate via armbar in the third round to retain her Bantamweight Championship.
February 22, 2014: UFC 170 Championship Defense
On February 22, 2014, Ronda Rousey defended her UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Sara McMann at UFC 170. Rousey won the fight by TKO after knocking down McMann with a knee to the body just over a minute into the first round, marking Rousey's first career win via a method other than armbar.
July 5, 2014: Defended UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship at UFC 175
On July 5, 2014, Ronda Rousey defended her UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Alexis Davis at UFC 175, winning by knockout in just 16 seconds and also earning a Performance of the Night bonus award. Rousey broke her thumb during the fight.
August 17, 2014: The Four Horsewomen at WWE's SummerSlam
On August 17, 2014, The Four Horsewomen, including Ronda Rousey, were acknowledged at WWE's SummerSlam event, sparking speculation about a potential crossover into wrestling. Rousey was interviewed by WWE.com that night and responded with "You never know" when asked if she would join WWE like Brock Lesnar.
2014: The Expendables 3 Film Appearance
In 2014, Ronda Rousey appeared in the film "The Expendables 3".
2014: Co-starring role in The Expendables 3
In 2014, Ronda Rousey co-starred in The Expendables 3, marking her first significant role in a major motion picture.
February 28, 2015: Defeated Cat Zingano at UFC 184
On February 28, 2015, Ronda Rousey defeated Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in just 14 seconds with an armbar, setting a record for the shortest title match in UFC history at the time.
March 29, 2015: Appearance at WrestleMania 31
On March 29, 2015, Ronda Rousey appeared at WrestleMania 31 alongside The Rock, confronting The Authority (Stephanie McMahon and Triple H) in a segment that ended with Rousey throwing both McMahon and Triple H out of the ring, teasing a potential future in WWE.
August 1, 2015: Defeated Bethe Correia at UFC 190
On August 1, 2015, Ronda Rousey defeated Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Brazil by knockout in just 34 seconds, dedicating the match to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who had passed away the day before. This earned Rousey another Performance of the Night award.
October 2015: Guest hosting ESPN's SportsCenter
In October 2015, Ronda Rousey became the first female athlete to guest host ESPN's SportsCenter.
November 15, 2015: Lost to Holly Holm at UFC 193
On November 15, 2015, Ronda Rousey faced Holly Holm at UFC 193 and was defeated by knockout, losing her title and undefeated streak. Both fighters were awarded Fight of the Night bonus awards.
November 18, 2015: Medically suspended by UFC
On November 18, 2015, Ronda Rousey was medically suspended by UFC following her loss to Holly Holm, highlighting the physical impact of the fight.
2015: Appearances in Furious 7 and Entourage
In 2015, Ronda Rousey appeared in the film Furious 7 and played herself in the film Entourage.
2015: Cover of Australian Men's Fitness
In 2015, Ronda Rousey was the first woman to be featured on the cover of Australian Men's Fitness magazine, appearing on the November edition.
January 2016: Cover of The Ring magazine
In January 2016, Ronda Rousey was featured on the cover of The Ring magazine, becoming the first mixed martial artist to achieve this and only the second woman after Cathy Davis in 1978.
January 23, 2016: Hosting Saturday Night Live
On January 23, 2016, Ronda Rousey hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, a late-night variety show, and Selena Gomez was the musical guest.
February 2016: Appearance on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover
In February 2016, Ronda Rousey appeared in body paint as one of three cover athletes for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
December 30, 2016: Lost to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207
On December 30, 2016, Ronda Rousey returned to UFC after over a year away and faced Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, losing the fight via TKO in the first round.
2016: Retirement from MMA
In 2016, Ronda Rousey retired from mixed martial arts (MMA).
2016: Cancellation of Road House remake project
In 2016, the planned remake of the 1989 action drama Road House, in which Ronda Rousey was scheduled to star, was cancelled.
January 28, 2018: Surprise Appearance at Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble, confronting the women's champions and confirming her full-time contract with WWE. During this appearance, she wore "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's jacket, given to her by his son.
July 9, 2018: Confirmed as pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19
On July 9, 2018, Ronda Rousey was confirmed as one of the two pre-order bonus characters for the video game WWE 2K19, alongside wrestling veteran Rey Mysterio.
July 2018: Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame
In July 2018, Ronda Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, solidifying her legacy in the sport.
2018: Mile 22 Film Appearance
In 2018, Ronda Rousey appeared in the film "Mile 22".
2018: WWE Career Begins
In 2018, Ronda Rousey began her career in professional wrestling, signing with WWE and debuting at WrestleMania 34. She also won the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam that year.
2018: Inducted into UFC Hall of Fame
In 2018, Ronda Rousey was the first female fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
January 17, 2019: Voice acting role in Mortal Kombat 11
On January 17, 2019, it was confirmed that Ronda Rousey would be voicing Sonya Blade in the video game Mortal Kombat 11.
January 28, 2019: Retained her title against Bayley on Raw
On January 28, 2019, Ronda Rousey retained her title against Bayley on Raw, she then continued her feud with Becky Lynch, who had won the Royal Rumble match, after Lynch chose to challenge her in a title match at WrestleMania 35.
2019: Turned heel for the first time
In 2019, Ronda Rousey turned heel for the first time in her career when she attacked both Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch on March 4th, and lost her title at WrestleMania 35 on April 7th in a match that was changed to a Winner Takes All match, losing to Lynch.
February 18, 2020: First stream on Facebook Gaming
On February 18, 2020, Ronda Rousey announced her first stream on Facebook Gaming and donated all stream profits to charity.
September 2021: Hosting Rowdy's Places on ESPN+
In September 2021, Ronda Rousey hosted "Rowdy's Places" on ESPN+, a ten-episode limited series where she spoke with experts in MMA, wrestling, boxing, and more to explore the global sensation of combat sports.
January 2022: Rousey was among the top 20 richest MMA fighters.
In January 2022, Ronda Rousey was among the top 20 richest MMA fighters with US$12 million net worth. She was the only woman in the top 20.
January 29, 2022: Returned to WWE at Royal Rumble 2022
On January 29, 2022, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble, entering at No. 28 and winning the Women's Royal Rumble match, earning a championship match at WrestleMania 38.
November 30, 2022: Added as playable character to Raid: Shadow Legends
On November 30, 2022, Ronda Rousey was added as a playable character to the game Raid: Shadow Legends.
2022: Return to WWE and Royal Rumble Win
In 2022, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble and won the women's Royal Rumble match. She also won the SmackDown Women's Championship twice that year.
2022: Won second SmackDown Women's Championship
In 2022, Ronda Rousey won her second SmackDown Women's Championship at Extreme Rules in October after defeating Liv Morgan.
2022: UFC Title Defense Record Surpassed
In 2022, Valentina Shevchenko surpassed Ronda Rousey's record for most UFC title defenses by a female.
October 2023: Leaves WWE and joins independent circuit
In October 2023, Ronda Rousey left WWE and began wrestling on the independent circuit.
October 26, 2023: Came out of retirement
On October 26, 2023, Ronda Rousey came out of retirement, teaming with Marina Shafir to defeat her trainer Brian Kendrick and Taya Valkyrie at a Lucha VaVoom event.
2023: Lost to Shayna Baszler at SummerSlam
In 2023, Ronda Rousey lost to Shayna Baszler at SummerSlam in an MMA Rules match by technical submission. After the match, it was reported that she was leaving WWE.
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