Ronda Rousey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ronda Rousey
Rousey in 2018
Born	Ronda Jean Rousey (1987-02-01) February 1, 1987 (age 38) Riverside, California, U.S.
Other names	Rowdy
Spouse(s)	Travis Browne ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	AnnMaria De Mars (mother)
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	135 lb (61 kg)
Division	Featherweight (2010–2011) Bantamweight (2012–2016) Professional wrestling (2018–2019; 2022–2023)
Reach	68 in (173 cm)
Style	Judo
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Santa Monica, California, U.S. Venice, California, U.S.
Team	Glendale Fighting Club Gokor Hayastan Academy SK Golden Boys
Trainer	Grappling: Gene LeBell, Rener Gracie, Gokor Chivichyan, AnnMaria De Mars Boxing: Edmond Tarverdyan Wrestling: Leo Frîncu
Years active	2010–2016 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	14
Wins	12
By knockout	3
By submission	9
Losses	2
By knockout	2
Amateur record
Total	3
Wins	3
By submission	3
Losses	0
Ronda Rousey Personal information Born {{#property:P569}} Died Not recognized as a date. Years must have 4 digits (use leading zeros for years < 1000). (aged Error: Need valid year, month, day) Occupation Judoka Sport Sport Judo Rank      6th dan black belt Achievements and titles World finals (2007) Regional finals (2004, 2005) Olympic finals (2008) Medal record Women's judo Representing  United States Olympic Games Bronze 2008 Beijing ‍–‍70 kg World Championships Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro ‍–‍70 kg Pan American Games Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro ‍–‍70 kg Pan American Championships Gold 2004 Isla Margarita ‍–‍63 kg Gold 2005 Caguas (PUR) ‍–‍63 kg Silver 2006 Buenos Aires ‍–‍63 kg Bronze 2007 Montreal ‍–‍70 kg World Juniors Championships Gold 2004 Budapest ‍–‍63 kg Bronze 2006 Santo Domingo ‍–‍63 kg
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Ronda Rousey
Billed height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Billed weight	134 lb (61 kg)
Trained by	Brian Kendrick Goldust Kurt Angle Natalya WWE Performance Center
Debut	April 8, 2018

Ronda Jean Rousey (born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judo athlete and mixed martial artist. She is famous for her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE.

Ronda was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo. She won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Rousey started her mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 2011. She joined Strikeforce and became their last Women's Bantamweight Champion.

Later, she joined UFC and was part of their first female fight at UFC 157. She became the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Rousey held the record for most UFC title defenses by a female (6) until 2022. She retired from MMA in 2016 and was the first female fighter to join the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.

In 2018, Rousey began a career in professional wrestling with WWE. She debuted at WrestleMania 34. She won the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam that year. Rousey also headlined WWE's first all-women's pay-per-view, Evolution. She lost her title at WrestleMania 35, in the first women's WrestleMania main event.

Rousey returned to WWE in 2022 and won the women's Royal Rumble match. She won the SmackDown Women's Championship twice that year. This made her a three-time women's world champion in WWE. She also became the eighth Women's Triple Crown Champion. She won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Shayna Baszler. They also combined the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championships. After leaving WWE in October 2023, she started wrestling on the independent circuit.

Rousey is the only woman to be a champion in both UFC and WWE. She is also the only woman to headline a pay-per-view event in both companies. In 2015, ESPN fans voted her the best female athlete of all time. Fox Sports called her "one of the defining athletes of the 21st century." Rousey has also acted in films like The Expendables 3 (2014) and Furious 7 (2015). She wrote her autobiography, My Fight / Your Fight, in 2015.

Early Life and Challenges

Ronda Jean Rousey was born in Riverside, California on February 1, 1987. She was the youngest of three daughters. Her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, was a famous judo athlete. She was the first American to win a World Judo Championship in 1984.

For the first six years of her life, Ronda had trouble speaking. She could not form clear sentences because of apraxia. This is a brain disorder that affects speech. It happened because her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck when she was born.

When Ronda was three, her parents moved to Jamestown, North Dakota. They wanted her to get special speech therapy. Rousey later left high school and earned her GED. She decided not to have a regular job. Instead, she started her MMA career at 22, after retiring from judo at 21.

Olympic Judo Journey

Rousey started learning judo with her mother when she was 11. She trained with her mother until she was 13. At 17, Rousey was the youngest judo athlete to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She lost her first match in the 63 kg weight class.

In 2004, Rousey won a gold medal at the 2004 World Judo Juniors Championships in Budapest, Hungary. In 2006, she became the first U.S. female judo athlete in almost 10 years to win an A-Level tournament. She also won a bronze medal at the 2006 Junior World Championships. This made her the first U.S. athlete to win two Junior World medals.

In 2007, Rousey moved up to the 70 kg weight class. She became one of the top three women in the world. She won a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. She also won a silver medal at the 2007 World Judo Championships.

In August 2008, Rousey competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She lost her quarterfinal match. However, she qualified for a bronze medal match through the repechage bracket. This means she got another chance to win a medal. Rousey won a bronze medal, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo.

Rousey stopped competing in judo at age 21 after the Olympics. She worked three jobs to support herself and her dog.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

MMA Training and Start

When Rousey began MMA, she trained with her mother's old teammates. She went to Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. There, she trained with future MMA fighters Manny Gamburyan and Karo Parisyan. Rousey often trained with men who were bigger than her. She said she cried almost every night from 2002 to 2005 because training was so hard.

Her teammates thought she would be great in MMA. But they also thought she was "too pretty to get hit" and should stick to judo. After the 2008 Olympics, she decided to start MMA. She trained at Glendale Fighting Club under coach Edmond Tarverdyan. She also trained in Jiu Jitsu and wrestling.

Early Success (2010–2011)

Rousey had her first amateur MMA fight on August 6, 2010. She won by submission with an armbar in just 23 seconds. She won her next two amateur fights quickly, both with armbars. All three amateur fights lasted less than two minutes combined.

She made her professional MMA debut on March 27, 2011. She won by armbar in 25 seconds. Her next professional fight was on June 17, 2011. She won by armbar in 49 seconds.

Strikeforce Champion (2011–2012)

Rousey joined Strikeforce in 2011. She won her first two fights there by armbar in the first round. In one fight, she dislocated her opponent's elbow. After these wins, she decided to move to a lighter weight class (135 pounds). She wanted to challenge Miesha Tate, who was the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. They had a big rivalry.

Rousey fought Tate for the Strikeforce title on March 3, 2012. She won by armbar in the first round. She became the new Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She defended her title against Sarah Kaufman on August 18, 2012. Rousey won by armbar in 54 seconds.

UFC Champion (2012–2016)

Rousey in 2012

In November 2012, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced that Rousey was the first female fighter to sign with them. UFC President Dana White said Rousey was the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.

Rousey's friends called her "Rowdy." She didn't want to use the nickname because of professional wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. But after meeting Piper, he gave her his approval.

Rousey defended her UFC title against Liz Carmouche on February 23, 2013. She won by armbar in the first round. She then coached The Ultimate Fighter 18 against Miesha Tate. They had a rematch at UFC 168 on December 28, 2013. Rousey won again by armbar in the third round.

Record-Setting Title Defenses

Rousey defended her title against Sara McMann at UFC 170 on February 22, 2014. She won by TKO (technical knockout) with a knee to the body in the first round. This was her first win not by armbar.

On July 5, 2014, Rousey defended her title against Alexis Davis at UFC 175. She won by knockout in just 16 seconds. This win earned her a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

Rousey fought Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on February 28, 2015. Rousey defeated Zingano with an armbar in only 14 seconds. This was the fastest win in UFC championship history at the time.

On August 1, 2015, Rousey fought Bethe Correia in Brazil at UFC 190. She won by knockout in 34 seconds. Rousey dedicated this fight to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who had passed away the day before.

These six wins were all in the UFC. She spent a total of 1077 seconds fighting in these matches.

Losing the Title and Retirement

In her seventh title defense, Rousey faced Holly Holm at UFC 193 on November 15, 2015. Many people thought Rousey would win easily. However, Holm hit Rousey a lot during the fight. Holm knocked Rousey out with a head kick in the second round. This was Rousey's first loss. The loss affected Rousey greatly.

After more than a year away, Rousey returned to fight Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016. Rousey lost the fight by TKO early in the first round.

Rousey did not officially announce her retirement from MMA. But in 2018, she said it was unlikely she would fight MMA again. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in July 2018.

Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Style

Rousey is known for her strong grappling skills. She often uses hip throws and sweeps from judo to take opponents down. Then, she tries to finish the fight with punches or submissions.

Rousey is famous for winning many fights with the armbar move. Her judo mother used to wake her up with armbars every morning! When she fought strong strikers, Rousey would usually take them to the ground for a quick submission. Only powerful grapplers could compete with her on the ground.

Rousey also uses trash talking in women's MMA. She uses strong words about her opponents. She says this helps get more attention for the sport.

Professional Wrestling Career

Joining WWE (2014–2017)

Rousey is a big fan of professional wrestling. She and her friends Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir call themselves "The Four Horsewomen." This name is a tribute to a famous wrestling group called The Four Horsemen.

Rousey with The Rock at WrestleMania 31

The Four Horsewomen appeared at WWE's SummerSlam event in 2014. Rousey was asked if she would ever wrestle. She said, "You never know."

At WrestleMania 31 in 2015, Rousey was in the front row. During a segment, The Rock brought her into the ring. She helped him by throwing Triple H out of the ring. She also grabbed Stephanie McMahon's arm, making it look like she would use her armbar. This hinted at a future in WWE.

In 2017, it was reported that Rousey signed a full-time contract with WWE. She trained at the WWE Performance Center.

Raw Women's Champion (2018–2019)

Rousey at WrestleMania 34 with Kurt Angle (also her WWE debut match)

Rousey made a surprise return at the Royal Rumble in January 2018. She faced the champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, and Asuka. ESPN announced she had signed a full-time WWE contract. The jacket she wore belonged to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Rousey made her wrestling debut at WrestleMania 34. She teamed with Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Rousey won the match by making McMahon tap out with her armbar. Fans and critics praised her performance.

In May, Rousey challenged Nia Jax for the WWE Raw Women's Championship. At Money in the Bank, Rousey won by disqualification. But Alexa Bliss interfered and won the title instead. Rousey then started a rivalry with Alexa Bliss.

At SummerSlam on August 19, Rousey defeated Alexa Bliss to win her first WWE championship. She defended her title against many challengers. These included Nikki Bella at Evolution, WWE's first all-women's pay-per-view.

Rousey was supposed to face Becky Lynch at Survivor Series. But Lynch was injured. So, Rousey faced Charlotte Flair instead. Flair attacked Rousey with weapons, causing Rousey to win by disqualification.

At WrestleMania 35, Rousey defended her title against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. This was the first time women main-evented WrestleMania. Lynch controversially pinned Rousey to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships. This was Rousey's first loss in WWE. Her championship reign ended after 231 days.

SmackDown Women's Champion (2022)

On January 29, 2022, Rousey returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble. She won the Women's Royal Rumble match. This earned her a championship match at WrestleMania 38. She chose to challenge Charlotte Flair for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship.

At WrestleMania 38, Flair defeated Rousey. This ended Rousey's undefeated streak in singles matches. At WrestleMania Backlash on May 8, Rousey defeated Flair to win the SmackDown Women's Championship.

She defended her title against Raquel Rodriguez and Natalya. But at Money in the Bank, Liv Morgan cashed in her Money in the Bank contract and defeated Rousey for the title.

Rousey challenged Morgan for the title at SummerSlam 2022. Morgan won in a controversial way. After the match, Rousey attacked Morgan and the referee. She was then suspended from WWE.

After her suspension, Rousey won a match to earn a rematch against Morgan. At Extreme Rules on October 8, Rousey defeated Morgan to win her second SmackDown Women's Championship. She lost the title to Charlotte Flair in December 2022.

Tag Team Champion and Retirement (2023)

Rousey returned in February 2023 to help Shayna Baszler. They formed a team. At WrestleMania 39, they won a tag team match. In May, Rousey and Baszler won the vacant WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Rousey also became the eighth WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion.

In June, they combined the WWE and NXT Women's Tag Team Championships. At Money in the Bank, Baszler turned on Rousey. They lost their tag team titles to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Rousey then lost to Baszler at SummerSlam. After this, Rousey announced her retirement from WWE in October 2023.

Independent Wrestling (2023)

On October 26, 2023, Rousey came out of retirement. She teamed with Marina Shafir to defeat Brian Kendrick and Taya Valkyrie at a Lucha VaVoom event. She also wrestled for Wrestling Revolver and Ring of Honor (ROH) in November 2023.

Other Activities

In January 2022, Rousey was one of the top 20 richest MMA fighters. She was the only woman on that list.

Magazines and Shows

Rousey was on the cover of The Ring magazine in January 2016. She was the first mixed martial artist and only the second woman to be on the cover of this boxing magazine.

Rousey has appeared in films like The Expendables 3 (2014), Furious 7 (2015), and Mile 22 (2018). In 2015, she became the first female athlete to guest host ESPN's SportsCenter. She also hosted Saturday Night Live in 2016. In 2019, she appeared in the TV series 9-1-1. In 2021, she hosted Rowdy's Places on ESPN+.

Video Games

Rousey has been a character in many video games. She was a pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19. She also appeared in EA Sports UFC games and later WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, WWE 2K23, and WWE 2K24. In 2019, she voiced Sonya Blade in the video game Mortal Kombat 11.

Personal Life

As of 2023, Rousey lives in Venice, California. She became a vegan after the 2008 Olympics. However, in 2012, she said her diet was a mix of different healthy eating styles.

Rousey has talked about struggling with her body image in the past. In 2015, she raised money for the Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation. In April 2015, she visited Yerevan, Armenia, for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

Rousey supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 United States presidential election.

Family Life

Rousey dated fellow UFC fighter Brendan Schaub. In 2015, she confirmed she was in a relationship with UFC fighter Travis Browne. They got engaged in April 2017 and married in Hawaii on August 28, 2017.

On April 21, 2021, Rousey announced she was pregnant. On September 27, 2021, she gave birth to a girl named La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne. On July 25, 2024, Rousey announced she was expecting her second child. On January 9, 2025, she gave birth to her second daughter, Liko’ula Pā’ūomahinakaipiha Browne.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Appearances

Championships and Awards

Judo Achievements

• International Judo Federation
  • Many gold, silver, and bronze medals in various World Cups and Championships from 2001 to 2008.
• Summer Olympic Games
  • 2008 Summer Olympics Senior Bronze Medalist
• USA Judo
  • USA Senior National Championship (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)
  • USA Senior Olympic Team Trials Winner (2004, 2008)

Mixed Martial Arts Achievements

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (Class of 2018) - First female inducted
  • UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time, first ever champion)
    • Six successful title defenses (most in UFC Women's Bantamweight history)
    • Fastest finish in a UFC Women's Bantamweight title fight (14 seconds)
  • Fight of the Night (Two times)
  • Submission of the Night (One time)
  • Performance of the Night (Four times)
• Strikeforce
  • Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time; last champion)
• ESPN
  • 2x Best Female Athlete ESPY Award (2014, 2015)
  • Best Fighter ESPY Award (2015)
  • First Mixed Martial Artist to win an ESPY Award
• World MMA Awards
  • 3x Female Fighter of the Year (2012, 2013, 2014)

Professional Wrestling Achievements

• WWE
  • WWE SmackDown Women's Championship (2 times)
  • WWE Raw Women's Championship (1 time)
  • WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shayna Baszler
  • Women's Royal Rumble (2022)
  • Eighth Women's Triple Crown Champion
  • Slammy Award (1 time) - "This is Awesome" Moment of the Year (2015) with The Rock
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 1 of the top 100 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Women's 100 in 2018
  • Rookie of the Year (2018)

Images for kids

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  Rousey (center, middle row) alongside other actors at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival

• 

  Rousey posing with a United States Air Force Thunderbirds plane with her name on it in November 2012

See also

In Spanish: Ronda Rousey para niños