It’s no secret that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White made way for women to enter the promotion because of Ronda Rousey.
The move allowed a number of female fighters to shine on the biggest stage. This Saturday night’s (Feb. 11) pay-per-view (PPV) will be headlined by the inaugural women’s featherweight title bout between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.
There was a time when Rousey ran the roost. She became the first UFC women’s bantamweight champion after reigning as Strikeforce’s 135-pound queen. She ended up finishing six straight opponents inside the Octagon and improved her professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record to 12-0.
Rousey’s run at the top came crashing down at UFC 193 back in Nov. 2015. “Rowdy” met Holm inside Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Over 56,000 fans packed the stadium that night. They witnessed “The Preacher’s Daughter” pull off arguably the biggest upset in UFC history.
In the second round of the fight, Rousey was knocked out with a head kick. The fight wasn’t close as the once dominant champion was outclassed in the first round. Over one year later, she competed against the new title holder Amanda Nunes. Rousey was finished in 48 seconds.
White was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated. He showered “Rowdy” with praise and said she is the one to thank for bringing women to the UFC:
“Everything she told me she would do, she did. She worked her a– off for this sport, for this company, for women. She worked herself to the bone. I’ve never had a fighter work [with publicity] the way she has. She’s made a lot of money. I know for her that doesn’t matter—her legacy means more to her than anything else. But you know what, sometimes we can’t have it all. But let’s be clear: she built this house. She really did.”
