When and why did Ronda Rousey go to the WWE?: Ronda Rousey was not only a trail-blazing talent in the UFC, she was a massive reason that the biggest MMA organization in the world had a women’s division in the first place.
The Baddest Woman On The Planet, after capturing attention with her performance in Strikeforce, became the first woman fighter signed by the UFC, becoming the promotion’s first Bantamweight Champion.
Rousey won her first fight via her armbar submission in the first round itself. For her second fight, UFC brought in a former foe in Meisha Tate, who did take Ronda to her limit. The Ronda vs. Tate bout at UFC 168 ended when the champion caught her opponent in an armbar in the third round.
Ronda Rousey’s next four title defenses of the UFC Bantamweight Championship were short ordeals, all ending in the first round itself. By this time, Ronda Rousey had introduced more and more striking elements in her game to combine with her natural judo skillset.
When and why did Ronda Rousey go to the WWE?
Now 12-0 in her MMA career and 6-0 in her UFC career, Ronda Rousey was set to take on Holly Holm at UFC 193. Before the fight, her coach even claimed that Ronda was one of the best striking fighters in the UFC. That was to come to a test against a strike-heavy fighter in Holm.
On the night of November 2015, UFC 193 was to go down in the history of this sport. The first round saw Ronda struggle a bit against Holm’s striking, But it was the second round that it all went down. In the first minute itself, Holly Holm connected a fantastic kick to the side of Ronda Rousey’s head. Dazed, the champ was then taken down and finished off with punches at the 59-second mark in the 2nd round.
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It is safe to say that Ronda Rousey did not take the defeat well. In interviews after the fight, she claimed that she contemplated taking her own life following her defeat to Holm. Fans and experts at this point were questioning whether Rousey was worth all the hype, after all, she lost to the first decent strike-heavy fighter she fought.
Over a year later, UFC 207 would be Rousey’s comeback to the Octagon. She would take on the now UFC Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes. The fight and the event were sold in Ronda’s name for the most part, with her face in the center of all posters. The stage was set for the living legend to take her crown back.
What happened next is known by all. Ronda Rousey was knocked out in the first minute of the first round. This fight, which took her MMA record to 12-2, felt even more embarrassing for the former Champion. It was right after this fight that the Rowdy-one announced her retirement from the business.
The two losses seemingly broke the aura around Ronda Rousey’s name. With questions asked about her skill in the cage, coupled with her being in an awful headspace she was in, it now seems obvious that she stepped away from the world of UFC.
- Check Out: When and why did Ronda Rousey go to the WWE?
At her physical peak at the age of 30, Someone like Ronda could not just kick her feet up. So in 2017, she started training for professional wrestling. Pro wrestling takes a massive toll on one’s body. For most athletes who transition to it from other sports, getting over that constant pain is a massive hurdle. But for a former MMA Champion, it seemed like a natural fit.
Ronda Rousey signed with the WWE in early 2018, making her first appearance at the 2019 Royal Rumble. The rest, as they say, is history. Beng is part of the first-ever all-women WrestleMania main event, a Royal Rumble winner, and a multi-time Champion.
To summarise the answer to the question in the heading, Ronda Rousey left UFC after two consecutive losses because it was the correct thing for her to get away from the business at the moment. She then joined WWE because it is a natural home for an athlete in their physical prime with a lot of star power.
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