
Long before her incredible UFC run began, Ronda Rousey was already hitting the headlines for some controversial in-cage moments.
Drawing more links to a spectacular return to the cage for the first time since her 2016 retirement from combat sports, inaugural UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has named her price for a comeback.
And already offered a chance to make her return by a male lightweight star in a bizarre inter-gender pairing, Rousey has options aplenty, it seems.
However, long before she became a star on the lips of every fighter on the planet, Rousey turned heads with a host of controversial performances.
						
						Making her presence felt in the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion, Rousey would fracture the arm of two-fight rival Miesha Tate in their first title fight, after causing injury to Sarah D’Alelio with her patented armbar.
And in her final outing under the banner of the Scott Coker-led promotion, Rousey was embroiled in a bitter feud with bantamweight title challenger Sarah Kaufman.
Pre-fight, Rousey would make her feelings of inaugural champion more than known, claiming, “She (Kaufman) might not know it, but she should be thanking her lucky stars that MMA is properly regulated in California.
“If I get her in an armbar, I’m going to try to rip it off and throw it at her corner,” Rousey explained. “If I get her in a choke, I’m going to hold onto it until she’s actually dead.”
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey(5-0) vs Sarah Kaufman(15-1)
— Underrated Tribal Chief (@CombatUTC) January 15, 2025
Strikeforce: Rousey vs Kaufman
August 18th 2012
Fighter: @RondaRousey pic.twitter.com/EJaBf3nnT5
Making light work of the Canadian, inside just 54 seconds, Rousey had forced a submission from Kaufman via that armbar once again, landing her sixth straight first-round stoppage — with UFC suitor Dana White sat cageside.
Initially linked with a spot on last year’s monumental UFC 300 card, Rousey was ruled out of a return to the Octagon by the previously mentioned White.
However, with the promotion set to land at the White House lawn next summer for a blockbuster card, speculation has been rife regarding a return for Rousey.
White addressed recent rumors linking the Riverside star with a comeback, especially on a card as big as the planned event in Washington.
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