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 retired professional wrestler, actress, judoka, and mixed martial artist. She gained prominence in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and later in WWE. Rousey is renowned for her achievements in mixed martial arts, particularly her dominant reign as the UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. She transitioned to professional wrestling, becoming a notable figure in WWE. Her career spans combat sports and entertainment, establishing her as a well-known personality in both fields.
2002: Training at Hayastan MMA Academy
From 2002, Ronda Rousey went to North Hollywood, Los Angeles Hayastan MMA Academy, which was run by Gokor Chivichyan, where she trained with fellow future MMA fighters Manny Gamburyan and Karo Parisyan.
2004: Olympic Qualification and World Judo Juniors Championship
In 2004, at the age of 17, Ronda Rousey was the youngest judoka to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens. Also in 2004, she won a gold medal at the World Judo Juniors Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
2005: Training at Hayastan MMA Academy
Until 2005, Ronda Rousey went to North Hollywood, Los Angeles Hayastan MMA Academy, which was run by Gokor Chivichyan, where she trained with fellow future MMA fighters Manny Gamburyan and Karo Parisyan.
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, claiming gold at the Birmingham World Cup in Great Britain.
February 2007: Move to 70 kg Weight Class
In February 2007, Ronda Rousey moved up to the 70 kg weight class and ranked as one of the top three women in the world.
August 2008: 2008 Olympic Games
In August 2008, Ronda Rousey competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, ultimately winning a bronze medal in Judo after defeating Annett Boehm.
2008: MMA Decision after 2008 Olympics
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 milestone in the sport.
August 6, 2010: Amateur MMA Debut
On August 6, 2010, Ronda Rousey made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur, defeating Hayden Munoz by submission due to an armbar in 23 seconds.
November 12, 2010: Tuff-N-Uff Tournament Quarterfinals
On November 12, 2010, Ronda Rousey entered the quarterfinals of the Tuff-N-Uff 145 lbs women's tournament, submitting Autumn Richardson with an armbar in 57 seconds.
January 7, 2011: Tuff-N-Uff Tournament Semifinals and Pro Plans
On January 7, 2011, Ronda Rousey faced Taylor Stratford in the Tuff-N-Uff tournament semi-finals, winning by technical submission due to an armbar in 24 seconds. Following this, she 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, submitting Ediane Gomes with an armbar in 25 seconds.
June 17, 2011: Fight against Charmaine Tweet
On June 17, 2011, Ronda Rousey faced kickboxing champion Charmaine Tweet in an MMA bout 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 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, but the fight was postponed.
November 18, 2011: Victory Over Julia Budd and Title Challenge Announcement
On November 18, 2011, Ronda Rousey faced Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers 20 in Las Vegas, winning via submission due to an armbar. After the fight, she announced her intention to challenge Miesha Tate for the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship.
2011: MMA Career Start
In 2011, Ronda Rousey began her mixed martial arts (MMA) career with King of the Cage.
March 3, 2012: Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship Win
On March 3, 2012, Ronda Rousey challenged and defeated Miesha Tate for the Strikeforce title in Columbus, Ohio, winning by submission due to an armbar and becoming the new Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion.
August 18, 2012: Strikeforce Title Defense Against Sarah Kaufman
On August 18, 2012, Ronda Rousey defended her Strikeforce title against Sarah Kaufman at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman in San Diego, California, winning by armbar to retain the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship.
November 2012: Signing with UFC and Bantamweight Championship
In November 2012, Ronda Rousey became the first female fighter to sign with the UFC and was announced as the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
2012: Rousey Nude in ESPN Magazine
In 2012, Ronda Rousey was featured nude on the cover and in a pictorial of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue.
2012: Interview before first match with Miesha Tate
In 2012, prior to her first match with Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey stated that her main advantage in judo was her conditioning and pace, wearing opponents out.
February 23, 2013: UFC 157 Title Defense Against Liz Carmouche
On February 23, 2013, at UFC 157, Ronda Rousey defended her Bantamweight Championship title against Liz Carmouche, winning by submission due to an armbar despite being caught in an early neck crank attempt.
December 28, 2013: UFC 168 Title Defense Against Miesha Tate
On December 28, 2013, Ronda Rousey faced Miesha Tate in a rematch at UFC 168, retaining her Bantamweight Championship by submitting Tate via armbar in the third round.
February 22, 2014: Defended UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Sara McMann
On February 22, 2014, Ronda Rousey defended her UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Sara McMann at UFC 170. Rousey won by TKO in the first round, marking her first win by a method other than armbar, although the stoppage was considered by some to be premature.
July 5, 2014: Defended UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Alexis Davis
On July 5, 2014, Ronda Rousey defended her UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship against Alexis Davis at UFC 175, winning by knockout in 16 seconds. She also broke her thumb during the fight, earning her second Performance of the Night bonus award.
August 17, 2014: Appearance at WWE's SummerSlam event
On August 17, 2014, The Four Horsewomen, including Ronda Rousey, were acknowledged at WWE's SummerSlam event. Rousey expressed potential interest in crossing over to wrestling.
2014: The Expendables 3 Film Appearance
In 2014, Ronda Rousey appeared in the film The Expendables 3.
February 28, 2015: Defeated Cat Zingano at UFC 184
On February 28, 2015, at UFC 184, Ronda Rousey defeated Cat Zingano with an armbar in just 14 seconds, which was the shortest title match in UFC history at the time.
March 29, 2015: Appearance at WrestleMania 31
On March 29, 2015, at WrestleMania 31, Ronda Rousey appeared with The Rock during an in-ring confrontation with The Authority (Stephanie McMahon and Triple H). She helped The Rock fend off The Authority, teasing a future in WWE.
August 1, 2015: Fought Bethe Correia at UFC 190
On August 1, 2015, Ronda Rousey fought Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Brazil, winning by knockout in 34 seconds. She dedicated the match to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who had passed away the day before, and received a Performance of the Night award.
November 15, 2015: Fought Holly Holm at UFC 193 and lost title
On November 15, 2015, Ronda Rousey faced Holly Holm at UFC 193 and was knocked out in the second round, losing her title and undefeated streak. Both fighters were awarded a Fight of the Night bonus.
November 18, 2015: Medically suspended by UFC
On November 18, 2015, Ronda Rousey was medically suspended by UFC after her fight against Holly Holm.
December 9, 2015: Medically cleared by UFC
On December 9, 2015, Ronda Rousey was medically cleared by UFC, after having been suspended due to the fight against Holly Holm.
December 30, 2016: Lost to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207
On December 30, 2016, Ronda Rousey returned to UFC after over a year and faced Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, losing via TKO in the first round.
2016: Retirement from MMA
In 2016, Ronda Rousey retired from mixed martial arts (MMA).
2016: Road House Remake Project Cancelled
In 2016, the Road House remake project, which Ronda Rousey was scheduled to star in, was cancelled. This would have been her biggest acting job to date.
September 12, 2017: Appearance at Mae Young Classic
On September 12, 2017, Ronda Rousey and the other Horsewomen attended the Mae Young Classic, supporting Shayna Baszler. They had a face-off with WWE's Four Horsewomen, hinting at a potential feud.
2017: Signed with WWE
In 2017, it was reported that Ronda Rousey had signed with WWE full-time and was training at the WWE Performance Center.
January 28, 2018: Surprise appearance at Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble, revealing she had signed a full-time contract with WWE. She wore "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's jacket, given to her by his son.
2018: Mile 22 Film Appearance
In 2018, Ronda Rousey appeared in the film Mile 22.
2018: WWE Career and Raw Women's Championship
In 2018, Ronda Rousey began her professional wrestling career, signing with WWE and debuting at WrestleMania 34. She later secured the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam and headlined Evolution, WWE's inaugural all-women's pay-per-view, where she defended the title.
2018: UFC Hall of Fame Induction
In 2018, Ronda Rousey was the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
January 28, 2019: Retained title against Bayley on Raw
On January 28, 2019, Ronda Rousey retained her title against Bayley on an episode of Raw and continued her feud with Becky Lynch, who had won the Royal Rumble match.
January 29, 2022: Returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble
On January 29, 2022, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE as a face at the Royal Rumble, entering at No. 28 and winning by last eliminating Charlotte Flair, earning a championship match at WrestleMania 38.
2022: SmackDown Women's Championship reign
In 2022, Ronda Rousey had a series of matches, including retaining her title against Raquel Rodriguez and Natalya, before losing the SmackDown Women's Championship to Liv Morgan, only to regain it later at Extreme Rules.
2022: Royal Rumble and SmackDown Championship Wins
In 2022, Ronda Rousey returned at the Royal Rumble, winning the women's Royal Rumble match. She also won the SmackDown Women's Championship twice, marking her as a three-time women's world champion in WWE.
2022: UFC Title Defense Record Surpassed
In 2022, Valentina Shevchenko surpassed Ronda Rousey's record for most UFC title defenses by a female. Rousey previously held the record at 6 defenses.
October 2023: Departure from WWE
In October 2023, Ronda Rousey left WWE and began wrestling on the independent circuit.
2023: WWE Career and Departure
In 2023, Ronda Rousey formed an alliance with Shayna Baszler, winning the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. She later lost to Baszler at SummerSlam in an MMA Rules match and was reported to be leaving WWE, which was later confirmed. After that she retired, citing concussions as a major reason to quit.
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