20 Saturday, February 3, 2018

onda Rousey was the unbeaten, until her Venice Beach indestructible champion of women’s house, where she lives RUFC, a pop culture icon with a budding with husband Travis Hollywood career. Browne and her two The ‘most dangerous woman step-kids, was burgled on the planet’ appeared on the and vandalised, front of magazines, was one of huge black graffiti the best-paid female athletes appearing on an in any sport - and was even exterior wall, in the the third most Googled summer. person in the whole Her MMA career world. seemed unclear with UFC An Olympic bronze president , who medallist in Judo in placed the success of the women’s 2008. divisions on Rousey’s shoulders, believing she had retired. Rousey’s But while Rousey was away she was plotting a sensational endorsement deals move to of WWE. ran in the millions and only tennis icon Although the news that Rousey has joined the WWE on Serena Williams could challenge her athletic a full-time, two-year contract will have shocked many fight dominance, and marketability. fans, it’s been a relationship long in the making. In the US she was a bigger star than either She had always been a fan of pro , even earning Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. the nickname ‘Rowdy’ after one of her favourite stars, She appeared in TV shows, hosted long- . running comedy institution Saturday At the start of her MMA career friends wanted her to use Night Live and had significant roles in the nickname professionally but she initially refused out of The Expendables, Furious 7 and the respect to the WWE legend. Entourage movie. Eventually she met with Piper (through Gene LeBell, It seemed like nothing could stop her. who coached both Rousey and Piper) and Hot Rod gave her But then Rousey suffered a shock his blessing to take on the nickname. defeat to , losing not only When Piper died in 2015, the next night Rousey dedicated her unbeaten record and UFC title, but her win over to his memory. her aura of invincibility. Critics said her Her first appearance came way back at SummerSlam extra-curricular activities had left her 2014, when the Four Horsewomen were born, a faction distracted and even turned her soft. with , Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. After a year out of the fight game Rousey then made a memorable appearance at Rousey returned, more focused than WrestleMania 31, in a segment with WWE legends The ever, she claimed... and lost inside a Rock, and Stephanie McMahon. minute after a stunning flurry of punches Sitting in the crowd, The Rock beckoned her into the by . ring before she threw both Triple H and Stephanie out of Rousey spent most of 2016 and then the ring and onto the floor, with the crowd going wild. 2017 licking her wounds. She didn’t appear again until July 2016, again with the She may have earned $3million in Four Horsewomen at the Classic. that TKO defeat to Nunes (who earned Rumours that Rousey would appear at the $100,000) but her aura was lost. Her have been swirling for months, after numerous reports that omnipresence quickly fell away. the MMA star had been training at the WWE Performance Rousey was barely seen in public Centre in Florida. (thesun.co.uk)

Ronda Rousey (R) fights Brazil’s Bethe Correia (file pic) (file pic)