UFC superstar Ronda Rousey reportedly reached an agreement with the Lifetime Network on a three-picture movie deal with a focus on empowerment projects.
Denise Petski of Deadline first reported the news on Wednesday. Damon Martin of Fox Sports noted Rousey is going to develop and produce the features but “from the sound of things” isn’t currently expected to play the starring roles.
The deal is to “bring stories that reflect her passions about empowerment to the screen,” according to the Deadline report. No further information about the films was immediately released, though.
Rousey skyrocketed to stardom during during the 11-0 start to her MMA career, which featured a string of dominant performances. Only once during that stretch did her opponent survive the first round, and nine times she finished the fight within the first round.
Not only did that run of success make her one of the UFC’s biggest draws, but it also opened the door to opportunities outside of the Octagon. That included appearances in Hollywood films such as The Expendables 3, Furious 7 and Entourage.
More recently, the 29-year-old California native was chosen to star in a remake of Road House and hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.
Rousey lost her first career fight to Holly Holm back in November by second-round knockout. Even before that defeat, however, she was talking about getting away from the sport for a while, as she explained in an interview with Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone:
I would like to wait until UFC 200 to fight again. I’m going to be filming [movies] in the meantime, so I’m still going to be keeping busy. When I’m filming it’s kind of weird, I’m on camera the whole time, but nothing really goes out until a year or two later. It is kind of like disappearing in a way.
The timeline has changed since those comments, though. Artem Safarov of SB Nation’s Bloody Elbow noted UFC President Dana White said during an interview on ESPN last month that she isn’t scheduled to make her return until “October or November.” UFC 200 is set for July 9.
Clearly, Rousey is keeping her promise to stay busy during her time away from the UFC, though. She generated a lot of mainstream appeal while crushing opponent after opponent in the Octagon, and despite the loss, she’s turned that into new ventures.
So, while MMA fans eagerly await her comeback, inking the deal with the Lifetime Network will allow Rousey to pursue her other passions in the meantime.
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