Photo by Esther Lin/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images
Ronda Rousey may currently be fending off the coronavirus spread and subsequent lack of supplies, but the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion started her fight inside of the cage.
In fact, Rousey’s professional MMA career started on this day (March 27th) exactly nine years ago. It took place under the King of the Cage banner back in 2011 from inside Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, California. Rousey was matched up against MMA veteran Ediane Gomes, who brought a 6-1 record into the fight and had only lost to now UFC champion Amanda Nunes.
In typical Rousey fashion she was able to quickly get a hold of Gomes on the ground and set her up for her patented armbar finish. It took Rousey just 25 seconds to get this done and was a clear indication of the dominance to come. The entire fight can be seen below:
Rousey would go on to win her second professional fight over Charmaine Tweet before making her Strikeforce debut in August 2011. It took “Rowdy” just four fights in Strikeforce to claim the women’s bantamweight title from Miesha Tate, defend it once again Sarah Kaufman, and force UFC’s hand to create a women’s bantamweight division just for her in 2013.
With UFC, Rousey was able to compile a 6-2 record with six-straight title defenses, five first-round finishes (three of which came under 35 seconds), and an undeniable knack for dominating opponents that solidified her as one of the very best fighters of her time. Not to mention the fact that Rousey blazed the trail for women’s MMA and the adoption of female weight classes in UFC. Without her, none of it would have been possible.
Rousey would eventually walk away from UFC after suffering back-to-back knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes from 2015-2016.