Ronda Rousey is making it very clear how she views her legacy in combat sports — and according to her, the modern boom of women headlining major events across multiple industries traces directly back to her success.
Speaking to Zack Heydorn of SI’s The Takedown, Rousey reflected on her impact across MMA, WWE, boxing, bare-knuckle boxing, and other contact sports. She said women getting major main event spots and bigger paydays today can be traced back to what she proved commercially.
“I’m very aware that women are headlining WWE because of me. That women are headlining and making big paydays in boxing because of me. In bare-knuckle boxing, in full-contact karate, in everything that’s a contact sport. I’m very, very proud of seeing all the success the women are having, because I was able to prove their commercial viability, and everyone’s trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle.”
Rousey said she is proud to see women succeeding across combat sports, even if she may never fully understand the full impact of what she helped start.
“I’m so happy to see it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully understand the scope of those ripple effects — nor anybody else — but that’s not why you do it. I’m very, very proud, and it’s very cool to see. I’m glad it’s got to the point that things are so different that people forget how it used to be. I’m not mad at that. I’m proud.”
Rousey’s influence is hard to deny. She helped bring women’s MMA to the UFC, became one of the company’s biggest stars, and later played a major role in WWE’s women’s division reaching new heights, including the first-ever women’s WrestleMania main event.
For now, the Baddest Woman on the Planet is taking pride in the fact that women in combat sports are getting opportunities, attention, and money that once seemed impossible.
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