Ronda Rousey is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand.
Rousey was born on February 1, 1987, in Riverside, California, to Ann Maria De Mars and Ron Rousey. She has three sisters, one of whom is retired UFC fighter Marina Shafir. Rousey was raised in Jamestown, New York, and later lived in North Highlands, California, before moving to Venice, California. Rousey has cited her father’s suicide as one of the reasons she started judo.
At the age of 11, Rousey placed first in the United States Judo Federation (USJF) national championships. In 2004, Rousey qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens, becoming the youngest American judoka in history at 17 years old.
Rousey’s mixed martial arts (MMA) career began in 2010, when she won her first professional fight, an armbar submission victory over Ediane Gomes. She won 12 of her first 14 MMA fights, nine of them by armbar submission. Rousey became the first female UFC fighter and the first woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo when she won the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Rousey made her MMA debut in February 2013, when she defeated Sarah D’Alelio by first-round TKO. She then defeated Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February 2013, becoming the first UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Rousey successfully defended her title six times, winning all of her fights by knockout or submission.
Rousey was the first female athlete to be featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s annual Body Issue. She was also voted the Best Female Athlete Ever in an ESPN poll.
In November 2015, Rousey was ranked the #3 most dominant active athlete in the world by ESPN.
In May 2016, Rousey announced her engagement to fellow UFC fighter Travis Browne.
On August 26, 2017, it was announced that Rousey had signed a multi-year contract with WWE.
On April 7, 2018, at WrestleMania 34, Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut, teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match.
Rousey has appeared in several films and television shows, including The Expendables 3 (2014), Fast & Furious 7