Kevin Snow - Ronda Rousey: Conquering New Ground

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Opposite: Ronda Rousey celebrates her win over Miesha Tate to capture the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship.

I t was a brief, nineteen-second sound bite that would leave a lasting impression. In January of 2011, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Commissioner Dana White was stopped outside of a Los Angeles restaurant by a tabloid news outlet looking for a juicy quote. When the reporter asked if fans would ever see women fighting in UFC, White chuckled as he gave his response.

Never.

Apparently hed never met Ronda Rousey. You see, its always been about the fight for Rousey. But that fight didnt always involve referees, medals, championship belts, or a final decision. For Rousey, the fight has taken on many forms:

The fight to survive right at birth when she was choked by her own umbilical cord.

The fight to overcome her fathers suicide when she was just eight years old.

The fight to become the best in the world, spending her teenage years forgoing dances and proms to become one of the top judoka in the United States, ultimately representing her country in two Olympic Games.

The fight to be herself, a war she still wages daily with her own personal demons. Only these days, Rouseys demons are on full display to the world, as she has become one of the most recognizable female athletes on the planet.

Rousey is the fighter that White never expected to encounter. Not only is she a woman, she is talented, beautiful, lethal, focused, and determined. The daughter of a former judoworld champion, Rousey had been raised and trained in a way that immediately set her apart from those around her.

This is a woman who now knows what she wants out of life; however, it took her a while to figure out what that was. Rousey went through a similar situation in childhood, when her speech was delayed. When she did figure it out, nothing would stand in her way. Words now come as quickly to Rousey as the knockoutpunches she delivers to her opponents.

Rousey has created a global brand for herself based on an idea she had while tending bar. She had recently won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Rather than continue along the path that judo had created for her, Rousey craved a new challenge. Not only did she want to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, she wanted to be the best in the world. I can do that," she used to tell herself while watching UFC highlights on television.

Not only did she succeed, but the girl who used to wear a sweatsuit to hide her muscular body is now wearing designer clothes and posing for magazine covers to promote a healthy body image. There was a time when Rousey was living out of her car and didnt even know what she wanted out of life. Now there are little girls who want to grow up to be just like Ronda Rousey. Even after two bad losses, she is still seen as a trailblazer. She may not have realized it when she was going through it, but all the fighting has been worth it. By the way, dont ever tell Ronda Rousey she cant do something.

As a teenager, Ronda Rousey was embarrassed by her muscular body. Now she's proud of who she is and what she has become.

Opposite: Much of Ronda Rousey's success can be attributed to her training with and the guidance from her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, an accomplished educator, businesswoman, and former judo world champion.