Ronda Rousey

Ronda Jean Rousey is an American actress, semi-retired professional wrestler, former judoka, and former mixed martial artist. She is best known for her tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo by winning bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Lynn Roethke had previously won a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics, but her medal was not counted toward the US medal count due to Women's Judo being a demonstration sport. Rousey began her mixed martial arts (MMA) career with King of the Cage in 2011. She soon joined Strikeforce, becoming their last Women's Bantamweight Champion, holding the championship until Strikeforce was acquired by the UFC. Rousey was the first female fighter signed by the UFC and part of the promotion's first women's bout at UFC 157; she was also its inaugural Women's Bantamweight Champion, later becoming the first woman to appear in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, and held the record for most UFC title defenses by a female (6) until it was surpassed by Valentina Shevchenko in 2022.