MMA’s Greats of the States | North Dakota: Ronda Rousey

Mixed martial artists come from every corner of the globe, bearing a variety of styles. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring disciplines prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best mixed martial artist of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Ronda Rousey rewrote the promotional playbook in mixed martial arts, becoming the sport’s foremost superstar and most bankable box office draw. While she was born and resides in California, she spent a significant chunk of her formative years in North Dakota due to a speech impediment.

Rousey was the first American female to medal in judo at the Olympics, capturing bronze at the 2008 Summer Games in China. She made the move to MMA two years later, went 3-0 as an amateur and made her professional debut in March 2011. With the armbar as her weapon of choice, Rousey finished her first 12 opponents, nine of them in less than a minute. She laid claim to titles in Strikeforce and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, emerging as the most impactful female fighter in history. Rousey was dethroned by a Holly Holm head kick at UFC 193 on Nov. 15, 2015 in one of the greatest upsets of all-time. She has not fought since.

The 29-year-old Rousey will return to the Octagon in the UFC 207 main event on Dec. 30, when she tries to reclaim the women’s bantamweight crown in a five-round showdown with Amanda Nunes.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Jason Brilz, Pablo Garza