The October 2015 issue of Men’s Fitness magazine was unusual — it was the magazine’s first issue to feature a woman on the cover. That woman was Ronda, who once again did something no other woman has done before.
There is no denying that Rousey is easy on the eyes, but that wasn’t the topic covered. She was pictured in her Reebok sports clothes under the title “Think You’re Tough?”. The feature story focused on her as an inspiration and a woman of many accomplishments. People had different opinions on the magazine’s choice of a cover girl, but it was ultimately celebrated for it.
Rousey's Armbar
Rousey's signature move is the armbar — a position which locks the opponent's arms when they're stretched in front of them. This may not sound fancy, but it hurts. Bad. It can also seriously damage the opponent's arm.
As an MMA pro, Rousey has had a total of 14 fights, 12 of which she won. Nine of the twelve were won by submission. Her competitors have seen the other side of her armbar even as an amateur. She locked Hayden Munoz and Taylor Stratford into an armbar in 23 and 24 seconds (respectively). As a pro, she even dislocated an opponent's (Miesha Tate) elbow with that move!
An Homage to Roddy Piper
Late wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper is a WWE legend with multiple championship titles. Ronda has looked up to him for years. When she started her own career, she asked him if she could use "Rowdy" as a nickname as well, and he happily agreed.
Now Rousey is commonly known in the wrestling scene as “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. In 2015, Piper had a heart attack which resulted in his unfortunate death.
What About Feminism?
With accomplishments like hers in a male-dominated scene, it would be crazy to not think of Rousey as a feminist icon.
Still, it looks like Rousey isn't keen on wearing that kind of label. She believes that fighting is "a human thing" rather than "a man's thing", so gender is irrelevant.
It's All About the Money
Much like in other industries, the pay gap is an issue in sports as well. Female fighters are often paid less than their male counterparts.
When asked about the issue, Rousey turned to math and said that ultimately, it makes sense for those who have more fights to be making more money.