Ronda Rousey is dedicating her fight to the man who gave her his nickname.
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper, the WWE legend, died Friday of cardiac arrest at the age of 61, according to a report by TMZ. Rousey reacted to the passing of one of her heroes on Instagram a few hours later.
“Thank you for the name…. And so much more…,” Rousey wrote alongside a picture of Piper. “Will do it justice and do you proud tomorrow…. This one’s for you Roddy…”
Rousey’s mentor is “Judo” Gene Lebell, who trained Piper in wrestling and judo from when he was a teenager. Lebell bestowed upon Rousey the nickname years ago, but not until Rousey called Piper for permission. Piper, of course, agreed.
The undefeated Rousey (11-0) defends her women’s bantamweight title against Bethe Correia at UFC 190 on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro.
Piper, whose real name was Roderick Toombs, was one of the pioneers of pro wrestling who helped bring the then-WWF into the mainstream. Piper was elected into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.