On November 28, 2012, Ronda Rousey sat across from Jim Rome and said what almost nobody says out loud.
She was asked about boxers who avoid sex before a fight. She replied with the exact opposite: “For women, it boosts your testosterone, so I try to have as much sex as possible before a fight”. According to Yahoo Sports, she clarified that it wasn’t just with anyone: if she had a steady partner, she would let him know a fight was coming up.
The quote made headlines around the world. Ian Shrier, a sports physician at McGill, came out to say that having sex the day before doesn’t affect strength or endurance. She didn’t back down.
Because Ronda wasn’t an unknown. She was born in Riverside, California, on February 1, 1987. At Beijing 2008, she won Olympic bronze in judo. And her next bout was a huge one: the UFC 157 main event, in Anaheim, on February 23, 2013, against Liz Carmouche.
Until then, the UFC had no women’s fights. Dana White had said in August 2012 that Rousey “is a star”. Someone had to be willing to claim that spot, and she was already there.
She went on to become the UFC’s first champion. She defended the title six times in a row. In November 2015, she was knocked out by a head kick from Holly Holm.
But the door she opened never closed again. Some people make noise so others will look at them. Ronda made noise so that, once they looked, they could never look away.