Ronda Rousey
Olympic judo medalist who made the armbar her signature
- Born
- February 1, 1987, Riverside, California, US
- Nationality
United States- Height
- 168 cm (5′6″)
- Reach
- 173 cm (5′8″)
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Style
- Judo armbar specialist
- Weight
- Bantamweight, Featherweight
- Active
- 2010–2016, 2026
- Status
- Retired · age 39
The record
Includes her one-off May 2026 comeback win over Gina Carano (armbar, 17 seconds), after which she retired again. record
2008 Olympic bronze and 2007 world silver in judo (70 kg)
The story
onda Rousey came to MMA from Olympic judo: she took silver at the 2007 world championships and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games, the first Olympic judo medal won by an American woman. In MMA she threw or swept opponents to the mat and finished them, most often with an armbar. She won the Strikeforce bantamweight title from Miesha Tate in 2012, was named the UFC's first women's champion that year, and defended the belt six times, once beating Cat Zingano in 14 seconds. Holly Holm knocked her out in 2015 and Amanda Nunes stopped her a year later. In 2018 she became the first woman in the UFC Hall of Fame and began a WWE career. She returned once in 2026, armbarred Gina Carano in 17 seconds, and retired again.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- UFC women's bantamweight champion (first female UFC champion, 6 successful defenses)
- Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion
- UFC Hall of Fame (2018), first woman inducted
Defining fights
- 2012WINvs Miesha Tate (armbar R1, won Strikeforce title)
- 2013WINvs Liz Carmouche (armbar R1, UFC 157)
- 2015WINvs Cat Zingano (armbar in 14 seconds)
- 2015LOSSvs Holly Holm (KO R2, lost UFC title)
- 2026WINvs Gina Carano (armbar R1 in 17 seconds)
Win the grip, hip-throw or trip, and move straight into control before the opponent can recover, with the armbar ready. Grappling and MMA students can drill clinch throw to side control to armbar as one continuous chain.
