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Ronda Rousey’s ex-teammate recalls the moment she knew she’d have to fight her for real in WWE

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Kyle Dimond | Last updated Jan 1, 2026 12:58 AM ET

Ronda Rousey’s former training partner knew that she wouldn’t pull her punches.

Rousey’s final UFC fight lasted just 44 seconds, as her MMA career came to an unceremonious end due to back-to-back knockout losses.

The former bantamweight champion’s time at the top of the sport ended up giving way to a different career.

Rousey had broken through into the mainstream during her incredible rise to stardom that took women’s MMA to new heights of popularity and exposure.

After signing with the WWE in 2018, her career came full circle when she stood across the ring from a fellow former UFC fighter.

Shayna Baszler knew her WWE match with Ronda Rousey would become real from the start

Ronda Rousey accomplished a lot in the UFC very quickly and was able to achieve a similar level of success in the WWE.

‘Rowdy’ won the Raw Women’s championship in her first year with the promotion, after making her debut at WrestleMania 34.

However, it was her former training partner Shayna Baszler who had initially beaten her to the punch by signing with the WWE in 2017.

Baszler, who fought twice in the UFC, including a loss to Amanda Nunes, was a part of Rousey’s team during the 18th season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ in 2013.

The two women’s long-running friendship eventually led them to the match they always wanted to build towards: an MMA rules match at SummerSlam in 2023.

In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Baszler recalled how things quickly became real between them in what would end up being Rousey’s final match for the promotion.

“I have been Ronda’s sparring partner for many years. Ronda has two speeds. On or off,” Baszler recalled. “The match starts and she kind of throws this like timing little pump fake jab at me and I just countered and popped her in the nose, just a reflex and I was like, ‘Oh s—, here we go.’ I knew it was on and we were just fighting after that.”

Shayna Baszler is very honest about the idea of her competing in MMA again

Dana White shut down the idea of Ronda Rousey making a return despite recent rumors suggesting that this was in the works.

Rousey has credited Shayna Baszler for getting her into professional wrestling in the first place as she’d always be watching it to unwind after their training sessions.

Baszler immediately started to pursue her passion after she was cut from the UFC roster following consecutive losses.

During her interview with Chris Van Vliet, the 45-year-old answered whether she’d consider putting the gloves back on if the right offer came her way.

“That’s a funny question. I think I would do jiu-jitsu or submission wrestling again,” she responded. “Fighting is a sport in which I think I keep up here but a millisecond or two slower means the biggest difference in the MMA world. That is a young person’s sport.”

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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