Entertainment
Top 10 Ronda Rousey Facts You Should Know
When Ronda Rousey exploded onto the MMA scene she electrified the sport and fought her way to the top of the rankings. But her feisty personality, good looks and fighting talents seemed too good to be true. Although her rise was quick and dramatic, eventually fans found out she wasn’t quite invincible. Rousey’s Judo expertise wasn’t enough when she went up against a couple of formidable fighters that outgunned her in the octagon. Even without her MMA career Ronda Rousey has led an interesting life. The highlights include a bronze medal at the 200b Olympic games in Beijing, China. She has also had a couple of Hollywood parts such as Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables 3. Recently she has signed on for some apppearances with the WWE and that promises to be an interesting spectacle. Rousey is a true competitor that gives that goes all in whether she is training for a fight or preparing for a photo shoot. If you just followed her impressive fight career there are probably a lot of interesting facts about her you don’t know, but now you will.
10. War Fighter
Ronda Rousey is known as a tough fighter, but she is also something of a gamer. She admitted to being a huge World of Warcraft fan during an appearance on a late night talk show. For those who don’t know World of Warcraft is an intricate fantasy game that has players embark on adventures in search of riches and glory. Rousey played the online game a lot with action star Vin Diesel while they were filming the seventh installment of the Fast and Furious series. Rousey decided to switch from playing an elf hunter to playing a rogue on the advice of her co-star and fellow gamer. Diesel and Rousey would often set up their laptops and play for hours to help them wind down after a long day of filming. The former MMA champion explained that it was a welcome break to be able to play the online games anonymously instead of as a celebrity. Unfortunately not everyone embraced her as a gamer. When some so-called serious gamers found out Rousey was playing they refused to take her seriously, but they’re nerds.
9. Mobile Home
Rousey has enjoyed a lot of success in her life, but this doesn’t mean she didn’t suffer her share of bumps in the road as well. After a successful run at the Olympics she returned to the United States with high hopes. Things didn’t go quite as planned and she found that she couldn’t afford rent for an apartment. Her 2005 Honda Accord LX was cramped, but it became her home for a time as she worked various jobs in Southern California. Eventually the young Olympian got her shot with Strikeforce and UFC and the rest is MMA history. As an MMA champion she could finally afford an expensive red convertible like the one in the photograph, but she didn’t forget about her trusty Honda. Rousey’s mom used the car for while after her daughter found a place to live, but its days were clearly numbered. In 2015 this Honda Accord, with more than 150,000 miles on it, was put up for sale on eBay with an asking price of $6,100. Rousey has expressed hope that the new owner of her trusty Honda would appreciate it as much as she did.
8. Fighting Demons
Rousey has faced many tough opponents in the octagon, but one of her toughest battles has nothing to do with MMA. The talented fighter won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but this achievement didn’t make her immune to some rough times. She has explained in several interviews that she felt depressed about her future. To outsiders it might have appeared that the sky was the limit for Rousey. She struggled with what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Although, she was convinced that judo could no longer be her focus going forward. She experienced a lot of uncertainty as she searched for what to do next. She spent a lot of time in the gym working on her skills. When she found she could have a career in MMA she felt like she had found the purpose she’d been searching for. Rousey was able to regain the focus and drive that helped her become the first UFC women’s champion. Rousey has also talked about how coming to terms with the death of her father was a big step in putting her back on solid ground.
7. Throh a Punch
Pokemon is one of the most recognized and beloved games in the world. Players have been known to take the game very seriously and Ronda Rousey appears to be no different. The MMA champion has revealed that her favorite Pokemon characters are named Mew and Throh. She feels she has something of a kinship with Throh because he is the character that knows judo. It is an obvious choice for Rousey, but according to those in the know only a true fan of the game would be familiar with one of the more obscure characters such as Throh. In fact, the former MMA champion is such a big fan of of the game that she was actually a moderator on one of the many online Pokemon forums. Rousey has often expressed her love of gaming on social media and it has attracted a lot of new followers based on these interests in addition to her legions of MMA fans. It’s good to know that even with her busy schedule she finds the time to kick back and have some fun that doesn’t include an armbar.
6. Don’t Bite My Teeth!
Rousey is one of the most popular MMA fighters and has a deep knowledge of her sport. However, she may have strayed a little too far out of her lane when she started dishing sex advice while answering questions for Maxim magazine. She really has a problem when a guy’s teeth get in the way: “Don’t bite my teeth! If my teeth are repeatedly hitting your teeth, then there’s a problem with what you’re doing.” This is good advice as none of us enjoy our teeth clanging against our significant other’s teeth – this is a definite mood killer for most people, but to each his own. But she didn’t stop there. Rousey went on to dispense more advice, including the idea that aids like lube should never be used under any circumstances. In her opinion its just a matter of the guy taking his time and not rushing into things too quickly. Rousey seemed to forget that sexuality is a complicated and personal experience for most people. She probably didn’t stop to think that her take on sex may not be good advice for everyone.
5. Olympic Heroine
Ronda Rousey started to make a name for herself a decade ago in Beijing. It was in this Chinese city in 2008 that the future UFC champion competed in the Summer Olympic Games. She is an accomplished judo fighter and walked away with a bronze medal for her efforts. She is very proud of the impressive accomplishment the medal represents, but unfortunately Rousey has not always kept close enough tabs on the medal itself. She has recounted several occasions when she misplaced the prize including while partying at several bars and while competing at a UFC event. After this series of close calls her fans can only hope the MMA champion has decided to leave her Olympic medal at home for safe keeping. Rousey has mostly had good things to say about her USA teammates and her experience competing at the Olympic games. One notable exception however, was her criticism of champion swimmer Michael Phelps. Rousey felt the famous gold medalist was disrespectful of many of his fellow Olympians.
4. Yo, Fight Time’s Coming Up
In the Boxing world it has long been a tradition to avoid having sex before a fight because many believe it saps their strength when they need it most. However, Ronda Rousey is clearly not a heavyweight boxer or a traditionalist. The MMA champion is on record insisting that she tries to have as much sex as she possibly can before stepping into the octagon for a big fight. In an interview that touched on her fight training and preparations she explained that having sex raises a woman’s testosterone levels. Not only does she get to have a lot fun at home before she has fun in the octagon it seems she has hard science on her side as well. So it turns out that making out is a good warm up when you’re about to get in the octagon and do some damage to an opponent. Rousey summed up her thoughts on the subject of pre-fight sex pretty clearly when she said “if I got a steady, I’m going to be like, ‘Yo. Fight time’s coming up’.”
3. Champion of the World
Rousey was already the Strikeforce champion when UFC president Dana White convinced her to jump ship and sign a contract with UFC in 2012. She had risen quickly through the ranks of Strikeforce after she medaled at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The MMA fighter was quickly declared the champion of the 135 pound class or bantamweight division. Many critics considered the UFC’s female talent pool to be pretty shallow, but they started to rethink their position pretty quickly after Rousey agreed to sign on the dotted line. White pointed out that Rousey was getting an unprecedented amount of media coverage even before she stepped into the octagon for her first UFC fight. Of course Rousey did go on to be one of UFC’s biggest stars and helped draw many new fans to the sport of MMA. Although she is no longer holds a championship belt in the sport, Rousey has become a pop culture star and an ambassador for mixed martial arts.
2. Resistance is Futile
Heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson was legendary for ending his fights quickly – so quickly that fans often felt they didn’t get their money’s worth. It seems the former heavyweight has nothing on MMA champion Ronda Rousey. In 2015 she set the UFC record for the fastest submission in a title fight when she defeated Cat Zingano in just 14 seconds. With an accomplished background in judo Rousey is known to be very tough to beat when the fight goes to the ground. Well before the Zingano fight Rousey was known to end fights quickly with her formidable grappling skills on the mat. She used one of her trademark armbar submission holds to bring Zingano to heel with blinding speed that stunned many viewers. Rousey hadn’t planned to go to the ground techniques so early in the bout, but Zingano’s aggressive attempt to get Rousey down on the mat presented her with the perfect opportunity to use one of them on Zingano. As soon as Rousey was able to get control of Zingano’s arm the match was over.
1. Heavyweight Attraction
It’s not surprising that a fierce competitor like Ronda Rousey would be attracted to other MMA fighters. The male fighters share her strong competitive drive and commitment to performing at their best. As her popularity has grown her fans and the media have become more interested in her matchups outside the octagon. She has tried to hold on to some of her privacy, but her celebrity status has made having a separation between public and private life increasingly difficult. Rousey is known to have been in relationships with several MMA fighters including Brendan Schaub and Henry Adkins. She has also known to have had a serious relationship with Travis Browne. He was one of her long-time training partners at the Glendale Fight Club in California. It’s natural that she would develop feelings for someone she spent so much time with in close quarters. However, after she suffered a couple of disappointing defeats she has decided to leave MMA behind at least for the time being. Rousey’s new focus is Hollywood and Tinsel Town will make it even harder for her to keep the details of her relationships out of the public eye.