Ronda Rousey: A look at women in UFC

Ronda Rousey. 12 wins. One loss. Nine submissions. Three knockouts.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches have been significantly male dominated in visibility and viewership. With a rise of the “rowdy” Ronda Rousey, many more female demographics had not only been brought to the spotlight in UFC, but had also shown up more in interest and viewership.

Before Rousey’s run for fame in the ring, many didn’t even know what the UFC was or they had known, but hadn’t paid much attention to the international sport. Rousey has effortlessly brought a great deal of attention to women’s bantamweight fighting.

With her constant (literal) arm-breaking submissions and knock-outs in the ring, Rousey fell straight into the UFC limelight as one of the toughest and most competitive fighters out there. With her long history of training with her mother in Judo since she was 11 years old, to going to the olympics for her MMA skill, she is an experienced, and well decorated fighter. Alongside a successful fighting career, Rousey has also done bikini modeling and acted, making her a multi-talented, all-doing woman.

Although the fighter doesn’t make self-proclamations of role modeling and leaves it to her fans to either look up to her or not, she isn’t afraid of standing up for positive change in the way people view women; being a model of a more athletic body type and wanting that body type to be expressed into the mainstream media, she has had a significant influence on the mainstream outlook of female fighters.

Rousey has given a tough face to UFC women. She has proved that women don’t have to just sit pretty for flashing lights and cameras, but can punch instead.