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 mixed martial artist and judoka. She gained prominence through her career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she was a dominant champion, and later transitioned to professional wrestling, becoming a notable figure in WWE. Her achievements in both sports have made her a well-known celebrity.
2004: Olympics and World Judo Juniors Championships
In 2004, Ronda Rousey became the youngest judoka to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens, where she lost her first match to Claudia Heill. That year, she also won a gold medal at the World Judo Juniors Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
April 2006: Birmingham World Cup Gold
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: Ranked Top 3 and Moved Up Weight Class
In February 2007, Ronda Rousey moved up to 70 kg and ranked as one of the top three women in the world. She also won the gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games.
August 2008: 2008 Olympic Games
In August 2008, Ronda Rousey competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, where she won a bronze medal in Judo.
2008: Post-Olympics MMA Interest
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 win an Olympic medal in judo.
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
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 Tournament Semi-Finals
On January 7, 2011, Ronda Rousey faced Taylor Stratford in the Tuff-N-Uff tournament semi-finals and won by technical submission due to an armbar in 24 seconds. 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, submitting Ediane Gomes with an armbar in 25 seconds.
June 17, 2011: Hard Knocks Fighting Championship Win
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, and submitted Tweet with an armbar in 49 seconds.
July 30, 2011: Scheduled Strikeforce Debut
On July 30, 2011, Ronda Rousey was initially scheduled to make her Strikeforce debut against Sarah D'Alelio, 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 and won via submission due to an armbar, dislocating Budd's elbow. Following the fight, she announced plans to challenge Miesha Tate for the Strikeforce title.
2011: Began MMA Career
In 2011, Ronda Rousey began 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, and won by submission due to an armbar in the first round, dislocating Tate's elbow, to become 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. During the program, UFC President Dana White predicted that Ronda Rousey would be a leading female fighter in the UFC.
August 15, 2012: All Access: Ronda Rousey Second Installment
On August 15, 2012, the second installment of the "All Access: Ronda Rousey" special aired. 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 won by armbar in 54 seconds and retained the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship.
November 2012: Signed with UFC and Inaugural Champion
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.
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 Title Defense
On December 28, 2013, Ronda Rousey faced Miesha Tate at UFC 168 in a rematch from Strikeforce and submitted Tate via armbar in the third round to retain her Bantamweight Championship.
February 22, 2014: UFC 170: Rousey vs. 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 that wasn't via armbar, though the stoppage was controversial.
July 5, 2014: UFC 175: Rousey vs. Davis
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 of the first round. During the fight, Rousey broke her thumb. She also earned a Performance of the Night bonus award for the emphatic win.
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 major motion picture role.
February 28, 2015: UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano
On February 28, 2015, Ronda Rousey fought Cat Zingano at UFC 184, where Rousey defeated Zingano with an armbar in just 14 seconds. This was the shortest title match in UFC history at the time.
March 29, 2015: WrestleMania 31 Appearance
On March 29, 2015, at WrestleMania 31, Ronda Rousey appeared during a segment with The Rock, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H, attacking Triple H and throwing McMahon out of the ring. Rousey hinted at a future return to WWE.
August 1, 2015: UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia
On August 1, 2015, Ronda Rousey defeated Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Brazil by knockout in 34 seconds. Rousey dedicated the match to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who died the day before and was one of her inspirations. This fight earned her another Performance of the Night award.
October 2015: Guest Host on ESPN's SportsCenter
In October 2015, Ronda Rousey made history as the first female athlete to guest host ESPN's SportsCenter.
November 15, 2015: UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm
On November 15, 2015, Ronda Rousey faced Holly Holm at UFC 193, where she was knocked out in the second round, losing her title and undefeated streak. Both fighters were awarded a Fight of the Night bonus of $50,000.
2015: Appearances in Furious 7 and Entourage
In 2015, Ronda Rousey appeared in the film Furious 7 and played herself in the film Entourage.
January 23, 2016: Host of Saturday Night Live
On January 23, 2016, Ronda Rousey hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, with Selena Gomez as the musical guest.
December 30, 2016: UFC 207: Rousey vs. Nunes
On December 30, 2016, after over a year away from the sport, Ronda Rousey returned to face Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, losing via TKO in the first round.
2016: Retired from MMA
In 2016, Ronda Rousey retired from Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
2016: Road House Remake Cancellation
In 2016, the planned remake of the 1989 film Road House, starring Ronda Rousey, was cancelled. She had reached out to Lisa Niemi, Patrick Swayze's widow, for her blessing, which was given.
January 28, 2018: Royal Rumble Appearance and WWE Contract Signing
On January 28, 2018, Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble, confronting the champions. She signed a full-time contract with WWE and became part of the Raw brand. The jacket she wore belonged to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
July 9, 2018: Confirmation as WWE 2K19 Pre-Order Bonus Character
On July 9, 2018, Ronda Rousey was confirmed as one of the two pre-order bonus characters for the video game WWE 2K19. She has also appeared in other games like EA Sports UFC, WWE 2K20, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, and mobile games.
July 2018: UFC Hall of Fame Induction
In July 2018, Ronda Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
2018: Mile 22 Film Appearance
In 2018, Ronda Rousey appeared in the film "Mile 22".
2018: WWE Debut and Raw Women's Championship
In 2018, Ronda Rousey began her professional wrestling career, signing with WWE and debuting at WrestleMania 34. She later won the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam.
2018: Inducted into UFC Hall of Fame
In 2018, Ronda Rousey was the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
January 17, 2019: Sonya Blade Voice in Mortal Kombat 11
On January 17, 2019, it was confirmed that Ronda Rousey would be the voice of Sonya Blade in the video game Mortal Kombat 11.
January 28, 2019: Raw: Title defense against Bayley
On January 28, 2019, Ronda Rousey retained her title against Bayley on Raw and continued her feud with Becky Lynch, who had won the Royal Rumble match and chose to challenge her in a title match at WrestleMania 35.
August 18, 2019: Rousey Joins 9-1-1 Series and Suffers Injury
On August 18, 2019, it was announced that Ronda Rousey would be a recurring character, Lena Bosko, in the third season of Fox's 9-1-1 series. On her first day of shooting, she injured two fingers, resulting in a fractured ring finger and a broken middle finger with a nearly severed tendon, requiring surgery.
February 18, 2020: First Stream on Facebook Gaming
On February 18, 2020, Ronda Rousey announced her first stream on Facebook Gaming, donating all stream profits to charity.
September 2021: Host of Rowdy's Places on ESPN+
In September 2021, Ronda Rousey hosted Rowdy's Places on ESPN+. This ten-episode limited series saw Ronda speaking with experts within the worlds of MMA, wrestling, boxing and more to uncover why combat sports have been a global sensation for a millennium.
January 29, 2022: Royal Rumble 2022: Rousey's Return
On January 29, 2022, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble, entering at No. 28 and winning by last eliminating Charlotte Flair, earning a championship match at WrestleMania 38.
November 30, 2022: Playable Character in Raid: Shadow Legends
On November 30, 2022, Ronda Rousey was added as a playable character to the game Raid: Shadow Legends.
2022: WWE Career in 2022
In 2022, Ronda Rousey retained her title against Natalya at Money in the Bank, but lost to Liv Morgan who cashed in her Money in the Bank contract. She then challenged Morgan for the title at SummerSlam 2022 and lost in controversial fashion, leading to her suspension and eventual reclaiming of the SmackDown Women's Championship at Extreme Rules.
2022: Royal Rumble and SmackDown Women's Championship Wins
In 2022, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE, winning the women's Royal Rumble match. She also won the SmackDown Women's Championship twice that year.
2022: UFC Title Defense Record Surpassed
In 2022, Valentina Shevchenko surpassed Ronda Rousey's record for most UFC title defenses (6) by a female.
October 2023: Left WWE
In October 2023, Ronda Rousey left WWE and began wrestling on the independent circuit.
October 26, 2023: Rousey Comes Out of Retirement at Lucha VaVoom
On October 26, 2023, Ronda Rousey ended her brief retirement by teaming up with Marina Shafir at a Lucha VaVoom event, where they were victorious against her trainer Brian Kendrick and Taya Valkyrie.
2023: WWE Career Events and Departure
In 2023, Ronda Rousey experienced several key events in her WWE career. On February 10, she allied with Shayna Baszler, attacking Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox. At WrestleMania 39, Rousey and Baszler won a tag team match, though Rousey was limited due to a fractured elbow. They were drafted to Raw as a team and won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship on May 29, making Rousey a WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion. On June 23, they unified the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championships. However, their reign ended at Money in the Bank when Baszler betrayed Rousey, leading to a loss. Rousey lost to Baszler at SummerSlam. After this, reports indicated Rousey was leaving WWE, confirmed on October 11 via her Instagram. Rousey also criticized WWE and Vince McMahon, citing concussion-related retirement.
Mentioned in this timeline
Selena Quintanilla-P rez known as Selena was an influential American...
Ellen DeGeneres is an American former comedian actress television host...
Selena Gomez is an American actress singer songwriter producer and...
Facebook is a social media and networking service created in...
World Wrestling Entertainment WWE is a prominent American professional wrestling...
Bernie Sanders is a prominent American politician currently serving as...
Trending
8 minutes ago Robert Reich Interview: Baby Boomers Blamed for Societal Problems, Media Changes Noted.
8 minutes ago Verstappen Undeterred: Horner's Situation Unlikely to Sway Red Bull Future in F1.
1 hour ago Hulu's 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 5: Release Date and New Cast!
2 hours ago Russia-Ukraine War Intensifies: Key Events on Day 1,248, Fierce Fighting in Pokrovsk
3 hours ago Oregon establishes permanent statewide homeless shelter program with Gov. Kotek's signature on bill.
4 hours ago Frank Ocean Expands Homer Jewelry and Announces Directorial Debut with Taylor Russell.
Popular
John Michael Ozzy Osbourne is a prominent English singer songwriter...
Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet from the Sun...
Hulk Hogan born Terry Gene Bollea is a retired American...
Adam Schiff is an American politician and lawyer currently serving...
Candace Owens is an American political commentator and author known...
Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician and military officer currently...