Check out how Rousey chose to mark her career’s biggest victories.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who was at one time the biggest star in the sport, hasn’t stepped foot inside a cage since her 2016 loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Since then the former Olympian has appeared inside the WWE ring and worked to get her acting career off the ground.
Her first career loss was at UFC 193 to Holly Holm in 2015. That fight ended with a highlight reel head kick KO that remains one of the most memorable moments in MMA history. Prior to that moment Rousey dominated her field, racking up 12 wins in a row — all in impressive fashion.
Rousey recently collaborated with Men’s Health on a video showing her getting a new tattoo; one that memorializes that winning streak. Watch below as she goes under the needle of Chuey Quintanar to receive tattoos of the second counts of each of her wins. While getting tattooed Rousey chats about each of her career wins and she actually has some interesting remarks regarding her UFC debut, her rivalry with Miesha Tate, a potential fight with Gina Carano and Cat Zingano’s gameplan.
After appearing in Strikeforce and taking that promotion’s bantamweight championship, Rousey was the first woman ever signed to the UFC. She made her debut, versus Liz Carmouche, for the bantamweight title at UFC 157 in 2013.
She won that fight by trademark armbar in the first round. Next up she faced Miesha Tate, who she had beaten back in Strikeforce. Versus Tate, Rousey had the longest fight of her career. It made it into the third round before Rousey scored the armbar win.
Next up she faced fellow Olympian Sara McMann in a fight she won via TKO. That was Rousey’s first stoppage due to strikes. Her second came in the next match, versus Alexis Davis (which lasted just 16 seconds).
It was around this time that Rousey was being heralded as a prodigious striker and all-round phenom by the UFC and sections of the press. In her next fight she faced Zingano, who she beat in 14 seconds with an unorthodox armbar.
In 2015, with her stardom breaking through into the mainstream, Rousey faced Bethe Correia in Rio. The fight had plenty of trash talk and bitterness attached, but it lasted just 34 seconds, with the Brazilian getting KO’d.
After this Rousey was the hottest ticket in MMA (though Conor McGregor was fast on her heels). However, it all came tumbling down for Rousey in 2015, thanks to Holly Holm’s shin.
Despite how her career finished up, it’s obvious that Rousey still holds a lot of dear memories in the sport. And most of them are special enough for her to permanently mark on her skin.
Rousey is currently under contract with the WWE, though she has not appeared for that company since 2019’s Wrestlemania 35.