Ronda Rousey is undoubtedly one of the greatest female mixed martial arts athletes, who had a dominant reign in the bantamweight division of UFC. She became a global phenom and enjoyed quite a stardom during her time in the UFC.
However, it didn’t last long for the American female wrestler. ‘Rowdy’, who was undefeated in Strikeforce, faced her first ever MMA setback in 2015 at the hands of former boxing champion Holly Holm.
Holm defeated Rousey in the second round of the bout via a knockout at UFC 193. This was a huge loss for the female champion, who looked invincible for years. Therefore, Rousey was shattered for a while after the setback.
During this time, the former UFC champion received support from another sports legend, Serena Williams. The tennis star and Rousey shared a good relationship with each other and have met in person several times.
Williams, a few days after Rousey’s, texted her and showed her love and support, per the ex-UFC star. Thus, in an old interview with ESPN, the former UFC bantamweight queen showered the WTA star with complimentary words.
“I f**king love her. Everybody else is like, ‘Oh, I’m small and proper and tennis-y’ and she’s just like f**kin’ muscles, curvaceousness, awesomeness. She doesn’t back down from anyone,” Rousey said.
It is interesting to note that Williams and Rousey have a history. The ex-UFC star once outshined the tennis legend at the 2015 ESPY awards, to become the female athlete of the year. Despite that, there is mutual respect between superstar athletes.
Ronda Rousey after UFC 193
‘Rowdy’ faced her first ever MMA setback while still being in her prime time. Therefore, she was expected to bounce back into the win column in her next fight. Even Rousey promised the same and agreed to a rematch with Holm.
However, the rematch never came to fruition. Instead, the American wrestler was set to clash against Brazilian Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight gold at UFC 207.
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Unfortunately, despite her strong will, Rousey suffered another devastating loss in the UFC. Nunes defeated her in the first round via a knockout. Following these two losses, ‘Rowdy’ exited the MMA.
Nevertheless, Rousey, later, turned her attention to professional wrestling and became the face of WWE in a few years.
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