Ronda Rousey's Real Name: Ronda Jean Rousey

Quick answer: Ronda Rousey's full name is Ronda Jean Rousey. Biography.com and the Library of Congress both give it and agree she was born February 1, 1987, in Riverside County, California. Biography.com and UFC.com specify Riverside. She won an Olympic judo bronze, became the UFC's first women's champion, and won WWE titles. In May 2026 she beat Gina Carano in what she called her final fight (Biography.com; LOC).

Real name and early life

Biography.com says Rousey nearly died at birth because the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. She had childhood apraxia of speech and didn't speak until she was 6. She lost her father, Ron, when she was 8, after a sledding accident left him with a broken back. Her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, won gold at the 1984 World Judo Championships and taught her the sport, including the armbar that became her trademark.

Rousey made the U.S. Olympic team at 15 and competed at the 2004 Athens Games. She won silver at the 2007 World Championships and gold at the 2007 Pan American Games. She won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, then retired from judo at 21.

Career highlights

After working as a bartender, Rousey made her amateur MMA debut in 2010 and won with an armbar in 23 seconds. She won the Strikeforce bantamweight title from Miesha Tate in March 2012 and became the first woman to sign with the UFC. Britannica's coverage notes she was the UFC's first female champion and defended the title six times. Holly Holm ended her unbeaten run in November 2015, and Amanda Nunes beat her in 48 seconds at UFC 207 in December 2016. In 2018 she became the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

That year she joined WWE, debuting at WrestleMania 34, and won the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam. She took the "Rowdy" nickname in tribute to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. She later won the 2022 Royal Rumble, the SmackDown title from Charlotte Flair, and the 2023 tag titles with Shayna Baszler.

In May 2026 she returned to MMA and stopped Gina Carano with an armbar 17 seconds into their bout in Inglewood, California. The AP reported she raised her record to 13-2 and insisted she was retiring. Biography.com notes she married Travis Browne in 2017.

Name notes for searchers

Ronda is her first name, Jean her middle name, and Rousey her family surname. "Rowdy" is a nickname. One LOC cross-reference spells the surname "Rouse," apparently a typo; the authorized heading is "Rousey, Ronda."