Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey is pound-for-pound the greatest female mixed martial arts fighter in the world. At just 28-years-old, she has achieved what was once unachievable and has changed the world's perception of women in combat sports. Already an established athlete and world champion, she is also a respected figure in popular culture. Appearances in big budget Hollywood movies The Expendables 3 and Furious 7 have transformed her into one of the most recognized women in the world.
She is driven, smart and knows exactly what she wants. She told the UFC, "I want to be the undisputed, best pound-for-pound woman in the world in MMA, and I want to do it while looking good and being entertaining. I want to bring women’s MMA up to be just as respected as the men, and I feel that if there’s something you want to get done, you gotta do it yourself."
There is nothing more powerful than a woman doing what she loves and doing it well. The Californian born star is a high-achiever with the right attitude. Here are eighteen awesome reasons why she is a truly inspirational female role model.
18 She Has Faced Tough Times And Come Out Stronger
From birth, Rousey has always had to fight. She was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and deprived of oxygen, her parents almost lost her. When she was eight-years-old, her father broke his back after he took Rousey and her younger sister sledding. Learning he would be a paraplegic for the rest of his life he took his own life.
She dropped out of school early and couldn't live a conventional way of life. She became a professional fighter, but shortly after the 2008 Beijing Olympics was left without a job and nowhere to live. To get herself back on her feet, she took a job at 24 Hour Fitness but later quit so she could return to an MMA gym. The rest is record-breaking history.
17 She Doesn't Back Down To Bullies
Rousey has suffered at the hands of bullies for most of her life. Having a strong physique as a young girl, she was picked on at school recalling, "People made fun of my arms and called me "Miss Man." It wasn't until I got older that I realized: These people are idiots. I'm fabulous." This is exactly the attitude everyone should have when it comes to the haters.
Even when we get older we still have to face bullies. During a press conference, Mayweather called out Rousey by pretending he didn't know who she was. He said on the prospect of fighting her, "Whoever she is… I wish her nothing but the best. Good luck with everything.” Rousey hit back with a dig at his previous charges of domestic violence by saying how we would feel "being beat by a woman for once." Not scared to go up against Mayweather - that's our kind of girl.
16 She Celebrates Every Muscle In Her Body
Rousey created an awesome new term when she encouraged girls to never be a: "Do nothing b***h". In a pre-fight speech that was uploaded to YouTube she said, "I think it's hilarious if someone says my body looks masculine or something, I'm like; "Listen, just because my body was developed for something other than f***ing millionaires, doesn’t mean it's masculine. I think it's femininely ba**ss as f**k because there’s not a single muscle on body that isn’t for a purpose because I’m not a do nothin' b***h."
The speech, which celebrates her muscular strength, was played during Beyonce's Made in America Festival performance. When Beyonce looks to you for inspirational quotes then that's when you know you are a real powerhouse for women.
15 She Gets Things Done - Fast
Her last three matches combined have lasted a total of 64 seconds. Out of twelve mixed martial arts fights - ten of them haven't even made it to the second round. She is undefeated and has three knock outs under her belt. She told UFC, "I’m happy with the way things are going. If I can go my entire career without leaving the first round, I’m not gonna complain about it. I think winning a fight in 30 seconds is pretty damn skilful.”
Brazilian MMA fighter, Bethe Correia, made a huge mistake when she mocked the suicide of Rousey's father during the countdown to their fight. Rousey used the jibe as motivation during the fight and Correria was brought down in 34-seconds.
14 She Brings Home Big Money
Rousey is not only the world's first female UFC champion but she also has the pay packet to match. According to Fortune, her last fight against Bethe Correia bought in $120,000 on top of a $50,000 “Performance of the Night" bonus. Like other UFC fighters, she also takes home a cheque from the Pay-per-view revenue of all her fights. It was estimated that she earned $1 million for her previous fight against Cat Zingano.
Sponsorships also make Rousey around $3 million a year. Then there are her cameos in Hollywood movies - it all adds up to make her one hot commodity.
13 She Isn't Shy
Long gone are the days where women would be discouraged from talking about our sexuality. Rousey has never been shy in coming forward about being a red-blooded woman. She has said that her pre-fight ritual is having sex because it naturally raises a woman's testosterone levels.
12 She Always Represents The Real Her
There is nothing more admirable than a woman who makes no apologies for showing the real her. Rousey has her fair share of haters, but like many in spotlight those who try to ruin her name have never even met her. She told the UFC, "If someone that I’ll never meet is making a wrong judgment about me from very little information, that’s not really my problem at all, so I don’t really feel that bad about it.”
11 She Is The Greatest Trash Talker
She has been labelled a "trash-talking titan" by many sports magazines. When she is not staring down her opponents then she is shooting them down with her wicked tongue.
It hasn't always been easy for her to get the words out though. In an interview with NPR's Abbie Cornish she revealed, "I had a lot of trouble speaking as a kid. I didn't really speak in coherent sentences until I was like 6 years old. There was a long time where everybody was very worried, because my sisters were so advanced for their age and I would barely talk." She went through years of speech therapy to overcome apraxia of the speech to become who she is today.
10 She's A Natural Born Geek At Heart
It's unusual to find out that the most feared woman in the world is also a die-hard Pokemon fan. She told Sports Illustrated, "I’ve gotten every single version of every generation of the game." She has even confessed to having a crush on Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z is my cartoon crush. She confessed, "Love him. I would have gone toon for him."
Come Halloween season she's always in the mood to show off her inner geek. Previous costumes she's posted of herself wearing have been Sailor Moon and Ninja Mutant Ninja Turtles.
9 She Is Fiercely Independent
Rousey doesn't need anybody but herself to keep happy. She is a smart woman who is more focused on her career and she admits, "How am I going to schedule another person in my life? I have one free day this month!" Her intense training regime also keeps guys away - because of jealousy.
She revealed, "I’m pretty much sweating and rolling around with different guys all day. I need a guy who can trust me entirely and won’t get jealous. I’m waiting for a guy that has the guts to handle it all on his own—and I don’t have to hold his hand and walk him through it.” You've been told, guys.
8 She Has The Title Of The World's Most Dominate Athlete
There isn't many people who could argue with Sports Illustrated when they gave Rousey the title of the "World's Most Dominant Athlete." She can pick out any opponent and dispose of them in seconds. The title previously belonged to retired boxer Mike Tyson, who is a fan of hers and has been noted as saying he can see himself in Rousey.
Her performances have been so strong that she managed to finally convince UFC President Dana White to give women's MMA the big break that it needed. Since then, many have complained that Rousey's fights are over before they have even begun but there's no chance of slowing her down.
7 She Has Previously Won An Olympic Medal In Judo
On top of the mountain of achievements she holds to her name, Rousey can also claim bragging rights for her bronze Olympic medal which she won in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She was beat by Japan's Masae Ueno and Cuba's Anaysi Hernandez, but we're guessing they wouldn't like to go up against her now.
She has claimed before, "I can’t remember not being an athlete. It’s just doing what comes natural, and I feel like I’ve always been deserving of that respect, but I have to do things to earn it."
6 She Admits Her Own Weaknesses
Despite her unbreakable exterior, this is one woman who is not afraid to admit that even she gets scared from time to time. She told the UFC, "People say to me all the time, "You have no fear." I tell them, "No, that's not true. I'm scared all the time. You have to have fear in order to have courage." I'm a courageous person because I'm a scared person."
If even Rousey herself can get anxious then we don't have to worry so much the next time we are stuck in panic mode.
5 She Focuses Her Mind On Winning
If you are ever wondering what her secret to winning is, well it's all about the positive mindset as well as having a body of steel. She has been raised her whole life to be the best at anything she sets her mind to and it's this mentality which has seen her reach peak success.
She remembers, "Ever since I was a little kid, my Dad told me that if you’re gonna swim, and you’re gonna be a swimmer, you’re gonna win the Olympics in swimming. And I switched from swimming to judo, and I was like I’m in judo, I’m gonna be a judo player and I’m gonna win the Olympics in judo. And when I switched to MMA, I completely have that same intent."
4 She Helps Others Who Are Struggling
A few years ago, Rousey revealed that she has had past struggles with bulimia and that she would hide her illness from friends and family. She successfully managed to recover her body and became a real fighter. In 2013, she started a clinic called Don't Throw Up, Throw Down which encouraged women to join in with a a two-hour clinic involving mixed martial arts.
Earlier this year, she helped to raise money for the Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation. Their goal was to save big cats from a life of circuses and zoos. She helped by auctioning signed T-shirts and has been happy to state publicly that she is a proud animal rights activist.
3 She Comes From A Background Of Strong Women
Rousey's mother, AnnMaria De Mars, is an athlete in her own right. She has enjoyed her own achievements in Judo after becoming the first U.S Citizen to ever win a world championship for the sport in 1984. Rousey does believe that women are stronger when it comes to the battle of the sexes and once said, "Ask any tattoo artist. Let’s just say that women do have a higher pain tolerance than men do."
Rousey has proudly stated that she gets a lot of mental strength from her mother. She told the UFC about her favourite quote saying, "My mom has a lot of lines. She also says "no one has the right to beat you, regardless of who they are."
2 She Makes No Apology For Being Over-Confident
There is an age-old perception that women shouldn't be able to brag about their achievements but instead keep an air of modesty about them at all times. Well, Rousey is well known for always throwing the rule book right out the window. She even once claimed, "If I wasn’t me I wouldn’t want to fight me because I’m the best female fighter in the world."
How does she deal with negative press or haters calling her out for such bold statements? She revealed, "Some people like to call me cocky or arrogant, but I just think, how dare you assume I should think less of myself? The problem isn't me thinking I can achieve any goal I set for myself, the problem is you projecting your own self doubt onto me."
1 She Is Stunningly Beautiful
There is no denying that Ronda Rousey is one of the most beautiful women in the world. She has revealed that having her weight at 150lbs is when she feels her most stunning which is a breath of fresh air in a world filled with size-zero obsessives.
Although she has to eat healthy to train as a fighter, she doesn't overly obsess about her diet. She states, "Listen, there's nothing wrong with your discipline or you just because you ate whatever. But if the best thing about your day is what you eat, there's something wrong with your day." Well, if she doesn't count every single calorie then neither will we.
Sources: rantsports.com, ufc.com, esquire.com, cnn.com, fortune.com
