Ronda Rousey, an early MMA fighter, significantly influenced the UFC’s inclusion of women by garnering attention through her dramatic performances and self-promotion, ultimately challenging Dana White’s initial resistance to women’s participation in the sport.
Ronda Rousey was only two fights into her MMA career when she signed with Strikeforce. Soon after, she became one of the faces of the sport and helped usher women into UFC.
It’s been documented many times over that UFC CEO Dana White famously said women would never fight in the octagon. Yet, Rousey became the game-changer that altered his vision for the promotion.
All the way back in 2011, Rousey was just an up-and-coming fighter. She hoped she could make enough of an impact for someone like White to notice her.
Looking back now, Rousey admits she felt a responsibility to get White’s attention. Especially with the knowledge that women were potentially on the cutting block after UFC purchased Strikeforce.
“People forget how fragile that situation was and how last-minute I was able to get us in,” Rousey told Chris Van Vliet. “Strikeforce was the only organization really showcasing women because of Gina Carano.”
“When she was gone, Cris Cyborg’s pumped to the f*cking gills with steroids. No one wants to watch that cheating ass bitch. Everything just tanked."
The division was dying. The UFC bought Strikeforce and it was assumed they’d absorb all the male talent they liked and fold the whole organization.
Prior to Rousey’s arrival, Carano was undoubtedly the biggest star in women’s MMA. But she effectively left the sport in 2009 after a first-round TKO loss to Cris Cyborg.
Her departure didn’t stop Strikeforce from promoting women’s fights. However, Rousey knew UFC buying the organization could change everything.
From that moment forward, Rousey made it her mission to get attention by any means necessary. Her devastating finishes combined with her penchant for drama whenever she touched a microphone helped her become a superstar.
“I was the first woman signed to Strikeforce since it got bought by Zuffa,” Rousey said. “I was brought in to replace Gina Carano because she wasn’t medically cleared for her comeback match.”
“So she pulled out and they signed me to fight that same chick, Sarah D’Alelio.” Knowing the clock was ticking, Rousey took every opportunity to make sure Dana White couldn’t go a single day without seeing her name somewhere.
Even after White decided to promote women’s fights in UFC, Rousey still didn’t feel like she was standing on solid ground. At first, women only had one UFC division headed by Rousey and her ability to draw a crowd.
Even after UFC committed to a deeper roster for women and multiple divisions, Rousey still wasn’t sure what would happen if she decided one day to walk away. “Once women were brought to the UFC, [Dana] said, ‘This is an experiment,’” Rousey recalled.
“It got to a point where we had to see how it would go without me because it was so dependent on me.” These days, UFC promotes three different women’s divisions.
While no female fighter has reached stratospheric levels of fame like Rousey, there’s plenty of women’s talent at the top of the sport. Rousey issued a reminder to current UFC fighters — male and female — about their broader responsibilities.
Part of why she convinced White to bring her and the women’s division into UFC? She commanded so much attention. More fighters need to realize their job goes beyond just fighting.
“You have to promote your fight as hard as you train for it,” Rousey said. “A lot of people feel secure in their position and think they should get everything thrown at them.”
“It’s not the company that promotes you.” Fighters shouldn’t expect the company to spend all this money promoting them.
“You have to go out there and promote yourself,” she emphasized. “You have to be a character and make your fights into a story.”
Before even getting into pro wrestling, Rousey tried bringing that mindset into women’s MMA. Many fighters forget they’re supposed to be entertainers too.
“It’s not something you do on the side,” she added. “It’s something you do equally as hard.”
A lot of people think of it as a bother or something they have to do because the company makes them do it. That’s why some incredible fighters remain unknown outside MMA circles.
UPDATE: Cyborg has responded.