00:05She was one of the most popular female athletes of all time when it came to professional sports.
00:11Her unique ability to excite an audience was unmatched, even by her male counterparts.
00:18However, as quick as her rise to fame was, so would be the steep fall.
00:22Let's take a look back at Ronda Rouse's rollercoaster career.
00:26And find out what actually happened.
00:31In 2009 the UFC had become a force to be reckoned with in the world of combat sports.
00:37The company had reached a level of success that no one could have predicted in the past.
00:42They had a hit show on cable television, a popular video game on store shelves, and their pay-per-view
00:48numbers were soaring.
00:50The niche sport attracted a lot of talent that competed in various disciplines, especially amateur wrestlers.
00:57Many of them saw mixed martial arts as a new career path, where their special skills would easily translate.
01:04Among the various athletes looking to take a stab at the sport would be Ronda Rousey.
01:08She began training for mixed martial arts after her judo career concluded with a bronze medal in the Olympics.
01:16Ronda started her MMA journey winning all her fights in a very impressive manner.
01:21It only took her less than a minute to strap on a tight submission and force her opponents to tap
01:26or snap.
01:28After getting her beak wet as an amateur, she later turned pro and signed with Strikeforce.
01:34Unlike the UFC, this company allowed women to fight under their banner.
01:39Ronda went on to steamroll the 145-pound division with more first-round armbar victories.
01:46She quickly became the number one contender and was next in line for a title shot.
01:51But Ronda ultimately decided not to take on the very menacing Chris Cyborg for the featherweight championship.
01:58Instead, she dropped down in weight and challenged the 135-pound champion.
02:04Misha Tate stylistically was an easier matchup than Cyborg was.
02:09While Misha was tough and scrappy, she wasn't exactly known for elite skill or technique in the cage.
02:15The champion declined the fight against the rising star, claiming she was underserving.
02:21Rousey would channel her rowdy side and use classless trash talk tactics to provoke Misha.
02:26I better striking, I better takedowns, I better transition, definitely better on the ground.
02:31I think that anywhere the fight goes, I have an advantage.
02:34I think that even if we fought a wrestling match, I'd beat her in wrestling.
02:38I'm just more of an athlete.
02:41Even before I did judo, I was on the Junior Olympic swimming team and I was swimming five times a
02:46week since the time I was six.
02:47I'm just an athlete and she's some chick that decided in high school it'd be cool to wrestle and a
02:53few years later decided it'd be cool to do MMA.
02:55I mean, this has been my entire life and in comparison this is just a fad to her.
03:00At the end of the day, you know, I still don't like her.
03:05That's the truth of the matter.
03:07I'm sure she's not a bad person, but, you know, it was one thing when she was attacking me, but,
03:12you know, to attack my loved ones or, you know, to make rude comments about, you know, Brian and insult
03:16him is taking it way too far in my opinion.
03:18She's kind of taking this whole marketing thing and acting like she knows it all and, you know, it's just
03:24really adding fuel to the fire for me.
03:25Do you feel like you're in her mind that you're under her skin now?
03:28Of course, of course I am.
03:30The constant taunting strategy worked and the fight was booked shortly after.
03:35To the surprise of no one, Misha fell victim to the armbar like all the others.
03:41Rousey now had gold hardware strapped around her waist and her popularity began to really grow.
03:47Ronda consistently filmed vlogs, volunteered to do unrequired press, and she became more outspoken.
03:54Dana White became a big fan of Rousey during her rise through the ranks.
03:59When Strikeforce was going through financial struggles, the UFC brass decided to purchase the company and absorb the roster.
04:07Rowdy became one of the fighters they envisioned being an even bigger star under the UFC umbrella.
04:12She became the first woman to fight in the UFC, as well as headline a card.
04:19There was a lot riding on her performance, but she would not disappoint in the showing.
04:24After another first-round armbar finish, Rousey instantly became the company's biggest star.
04:30Major opportunities came her way following the very important win, including movies and television projects.
04:37You couldn't last 30 seconds of me if you're life depended on it.
04:41I could really hurt you, turtle.
04:43So, I last 30 seconds, you let me take you out on a proper date.
04:46Last 60 seconds, and I'll let you fuck me.
04:50She was even named the cover athlete for the company's next video game.
05:07However, her career would start to take a wrong turn when her personality was revealed to the masses.
05:15After defending her belt, she signed on to be a coach on UFC's reality show, The Ultimate Fighter.
05:21Her image took a huge nosedive as the episodes aired around the world.
05:26She came off as rude, immature, and cocky throughout the season.
05:52As Ronda continued to reign over the women's division, her brash behavior became more common.
05:58In the media, she would make odd comments often during interviews.
06:02She stated she could beat Floyd Mayweather, and even the UFC heavyweight champion under the right circumstances.
06:09In my last fight, I'm actually the highest-paid UFC fighter, and I'm a woman.
06:13And I think I actually make two to three times more than he does per second.
06:16And so, when he learns to read and write, he can text me then.
06:20It didn't take long before fans were rooting against her.
06:25Ronda's next title defense was against Holly Holm.
06:28In an unforeseen turn of events, fans gravitated toward the respectful challenger, after being turned off by Ronda's antics once
06:36again.
06:38Ronda, that was particularly intense.
06:41There's a lot of animosity.
06:42What is that all about?
06:44I just wanted to get in her face and show her that I was there for a reason.
06:48She's the one that put the fist on my face.
06:50I didn't touch her.
06:51She's the one that touched me.
06:52And I told her that fake sweet act is, I see right through it.
06:57I really do.
06:57It was all fake.
06:58All until now.
06:59All that respect.
07:00All that everything.
07:01All you being sweet.
07:02I see right now that it's fake and you're going to get it on Sunday.
07:05You're not the first person that thought that you had the perfect plan to beat me.
07:09It's not the first time your camp thought that they had the perfect plan to beat me.
07:14I'm going to show you on Sunday why I'm the champ.
07:17Good luck to you, ma'am.
07:19The champ, ladies and gentlemen, Ronda Rousey.
07:22Much of the vocal NMA community wanted to see Rousey get a taste of humble pie at the end of
07:27the day.
07:28Ronda would give the fans what they wanted when the cage doors locked.
07:33Holly went on to make Rousey look like a complete novice during the short match.
07:38She didn't take the loss very well and avoided the media at all cost.
07:42But eventually Ronda gathered enough courage to come back and compete once again.
07:48Her return fight would be an immediate title shot coming off the brutal loss.
07:53During the lead up to the event, the former champion was not available for promotion of the fight,
07:58despite being the headliner.
08:00This behavior only added to her diva persona she had created over the years.
08:06The current champion would make quick work of Rousey in the cage, giving her yet another humiliating defeat.
08:12The vicious loss destroyed the remains of Ronda's aura and her confidence to compete at the highest level.
08:19Shortly after, the once overly cocky fighter would retire from mixed martial arts and attempt to make a career pivot.
08:26Rousey used her notoriety to sign a favorable deal with the WWE.
08:32But her stint in the world of professional wrestling didn't go as planned.
08:36The fan support she received initially quickly began to fade with each event she was featured in.
08:43Rousey was not a very good wrestler in the ring, and she wasn't very good on the mic either.
08:48Much of the wrestling audience thought she was just in over her head.
08:52She would only last a few years in the sport before she decided to retire.
08:58Her fame and popularity was all but a thing of the past.
09:02The former MMA champion focused more on her family life for the years that followed.
09:07But what do you think about this story?
09:10Were you a Ronda Rousey fan?
09:12Did her ego get the best of her, or was she simply a victim of a double standard in sports?
09:19Leave a comment below and let me know.
09:33I'll see you next time.
09:34I'll see you next time.
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