Ronda Rousey scored epic 16-second KO that left her dazed and confused opponent trying to fight referee
10/09/2024 10:46 AM
Ronda Rousey really started to show off her striking skills in 2014 when she left one of her opponents so concussed that they tried to fight a referee.
Rousey famously won an Olympic Bronze medal in judo before transitioning to MMA and using his grappling skills to submit three opponents during her 3-0 amateur career.
Eight more submission wins followed when she switched to pro-MMA.
'Rowdy' won a bantamweight title with Strikeforce before the company was bought out by the UFC and the American became the first female to hold a belt in Dana White's fight league.
Ronda Rousey showed off her striking skills against Alexis Davis
Not content with being a submission specialist, Rousey decided to show off her striking against Sara McMann, who she TKO'd with a body shot in a 66-second win at UFC 170 in February 2014.
In July of the same year, Rousey ruthlessly stopped Alexis Davis in a title defence at UFC 175 in July 2014.
Just 16 seconds was all it took for the 37-year-old to defend her title.
Rousey came out firing with fast hands, but she ate a that caught the attention of UFC commentator Joe Rogan and had him praising her opponent.
The UFC Hall of Famer wobbled Davis with a massive overhand right before following up with a knee to the stomach and launching her to the ground with a judo throw.
After landing in side control, Rousey proceeded to batter Davis with ground strikes until veteran referee Yves Levine stepped in to call things off.
The beaten challenger was so dazed and confused that she tried to fight Levine when he got in the middle of her and Rousey, who wheeled away in celebration.
The downfall of Ronda Rousey
Amazingly, Rousey picked up an even quicker win in her next outing.
Cat Zingano fell victim to Rousey's signature armbar submission after just 14 seconds in February 2015.
Another quick KO win over Bethe Correia followed when the WMMA pioneer floored her in 34 seconds – but it proved to be the last time Rousey won in the Octagon.
Holly Holm brutally KO'd Rousey at UFC 193 in November 2015. Despite being a heavy underdog 'The Preacher's Daughter' was able to dominate from the first bell and catch her opponent with a head kick in the second stanza.
Amanda Nunes retired Rousey 13 months later. 'The Lioness' unloaded a series of strikes that ended their eagerly anticipated fight in under a minute and prompted Rousey to walk away from MMA at just 29 years old.
Will Ronda Rousey ever make a UFC comeback?
Since leaving the UFC behind, Rousey has enjoyed success in the WWE, acting and writing – she's even started a family with fellow fighter Travis Browne.
Still, fans have been clamoring for her to return the sport that made her famous. So much so that she recently felt compelled to explain her absence.
It's now safe to say that Rousey will never have another MMA fight.
"It's nice to feel missed, I guess. But it's not happening. I'm not neurologically fit to compete anymore at the highest level. I just can't,” she said in August.
"You just get to a level where the neurological injuries you take accumulate over time. They don't get better.
"When I got into MMA, I had already had dozens of concussions that I trained through. Like, not even stopped for. So, that was about a decade of having concussion symptoms more often than not.
"So, when I got into MMA, I was playing a game of zero errors. Then it got to the point where I was fighting more often than anybody. I had more outside-of-fighting responsibilities than anybody, and it just got to be lighter and lighter hits were hurting me more and more and more.
"I got to a point where I couldn't take a jab without getting dazed, without getting concussion symptoms. It just got to a point where it wasn't safe for me to fight anymore. I just couldn't continue to fight at that higher level."
