Ronda Rousey has had a truly extraordinary life. The early years of her life were not easy, as she suffered verbal developmental dyspraxia and was bullied because of her body. But she never gave up and has achieved things that the vast majority of people can only dream of.

 

“Rowdy” is one of the defining athletes of this century, as she was one of the best judokas in the world, a former UFC champion, and then WWE RAW & SmackDown Women’s Champion, having one of the best years for a professional wrestler while with WWE. Ronda Rousey is one of the most famous women on the planet, but there are still many things about her that most people don’t know. 

Ronda Rousey Competed In The Olympics

Rousey Was A Bronze Medallist In 2008

Ronda Rousey began practicing Judo at the age of 11 with her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, who was the first American to win a gold medal at the World Judo Championships. Rousey was the youngest judoka to qualify for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, where she lost two matches.

Four years later, in Beijing, Rousey won a bronze medal and became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in Judo. Rousey was an exceptional judoka, she won multiple championship medals, including a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. Rousey retired from Judo at the age of 21.

8First Female Inductee Into The UFC Hall Of Fame

Ronda Rousey Was A Massive UFC Draw

MMA Record
Via Knockout
Via Submission

Wins
3
9

Losses
2
0

When UFC purchased Strikeforce, Ronda Rousey was the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion, therefore, she was introduced as the first UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. “Rowdy” successfully defended the title six times, including her victory over Cat Zingano in just 14 seconds, which is the shortest UFC women’s fight in history.

Rousey lost the title and her undefeated streak on Nov. 15, 2015, at UFC 193 against Holly Holm. Rousey retired, leaving behind an MMA record of 12 wins and two losses. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 5, 2018.

7Ronda Rousey Has The Nickname Of “Rowdy”

Rousey Was Inspired By WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

Ronda Rousey’s friends started calling her “Rowdy”, but she didn’t like it because she knew perfectly well that this nickname belonged to WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper. Rousey of course was a massive Piper fan and WWE fan growing up.

Eventually, Roddy Piper and Ronda Rousey met and the former gave his approval to use the nickname “Rowdy” by which Rousey is known both inside and outside WWE. She even used his iconic leather jacket too. 

She Has One Of The Highest Win Percentages In WWE History

Ronda Rousey Was Unstoppable In Her First Run

 

     WWE Wins
WWE Losses
WWE Draws 

123
16
3

Ronda Rousey made her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 when she teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. Rousey was amazing, as she was in most of her matches, making it clear that her adjustment was incredibly quick, which is admirable.

At SummerSlam 2018, Ronda Rousey became Raw Women’s Champion after defeating Alexa Bliss. Rousey won her first 17 televised matches until she lost to Bayley and Sasha Banks in a tag team match. After that, Rousey kept winning until she was pinned by Becky Lynch in the main event of WrestleMania 37. That was Ronda Rousey’s last WWE match. “The baddest woman on the planet” left a record of 28 wins and two losses, which is a winning percentage of 93.3%, the highest in WWE history at the time (with a minimum of 25 matches). Her second run has seen this percentage drop below 90%, but it is still mightily impressive.

5Ronda Rousey Appeared In The Movie Furious 7

Rousey Is One Of Many To Crossover Into The Acting World

 In case you haven’t watched the movie Furious 7, Ronda Rousey played the role of Kara and shined in a brutal scene where she and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) fight fiercely. Rousey showcased her excellent combat skills and left a good impression. 

That wasn’t Ronda Rousey’s only acting work, as she has also appeared in other films such as The Expendables 3, Entourage, and Mile 22.

4Ronda Rousey Is Married And Has A Child

Ronda Rousey Tied The Knot To Former MMA Fighter Travis Browne

Ronda Rousey is married to former UFC fighter Travis Browne. She confirmed they were dating in 2015 and on August 28, 2017, they tied the knot in Hawaii. Browne and Rousey are certainly a power couple in the fighting the world. Browne has shown up here and there in the crowd at WWE events, and was even one of those to fend off Bret Hart’s attacker at the Hall of Fame ceremony a few years ago.

In September of 2021, Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne would bring a new life into the world, a little girl named La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne. Just four months later, Rousey was back in a WWE ring, competing in the 2022 Royal Rumble in an extroadinary feat.

3She Is A Fan Of Dragon Ball Z & Pokémon

Ronda Rousey Used To Be A Moderator Of Online Forum Dedicated To Pokemon

Believe it or not, Ronda Rousey is a huge Pokémon fan and Mew is her favorite Pokémon. She used to play for hours like any 10-year-old kid. In addition, Rousey recently revealed the gender of her baby with a Pokémon-style video. In an interview (H/T Essentially Sports) she said this about her love for the world

“My first one was Pokemon Blue, and my first Pokemon was a Charmander and I was immediately hooked on it. I lost a bunch of weight that summer, and I was a small kid because I would not stop playing.”

Ronda Rousey also loves Dragon Ball Z, she even admitted that she had a big childhood crush on Vegeta, the Saiyan prince.

2Ronda Rousey’s Is 36 Years Old & Her Birthday Is February 1st

Ronda Rousey Stands At 5 Feet Seven Inches Tall

Ronda Jean Rousey was born on February 1, 1987. At 36 years old, Rousey can say she won an Olympic medal, became a great UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, became a former Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion, and she is an actress, among many other things.

At 5’7″ tall, Rousey has established herself as one of the toughest women in the world and has succeeded in everything she has set her mind to. 

1Ronda Rousey Is Of Is Of Venezuelan Ancestry

Ronda Rousey Has An Interesting Familial History

One of the things that almost no one knows about Ronda Rousey is that she is of Venezuelan ancestry. Her maternal grandfather was Venezuelan. So, Rousey is also Latina.

She says she feels more Venezuelan than anything else, adopting several Latin tendencies. For example, Ronda listens to salsa while she trains, especially the songs of Hector Lavoe according to an interview with Vice.