Ronda Rousey has been considered to be one of the most sought after UFC Champion in the industry. The UFC women's bantamweight champion has been getting much of the media's attention and has been in demand lately.
Rousey is the first and current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, as well as the last Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She is undefeated having eight of her nine fights won using Judo technique, juji gatame or armbar. She is also the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008.
The 27 year old California native will be defending her belt Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 175 when she faces Alexis Davis in her third bout in six months.
With regards to her popularity, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta says "People love Ronda. People ask all the time what it takes to become a star, but there isn't a list of points you could write on a sheet of paper and say, 'Well, do this, this, this and this, and you'll be a big star.' There are people who have all those things, and they don't have that kind of passionate fan base."
He adds "Ronda is one of those people who draws others to her. People want to see her and hear what she has to say. She has that 'it' factor that it takes to cross over and become a star."
Although much has been said about her popularity, she has even been on covers of numerous magazines as well as acting on major movies roles, Rousey seems to be shy about her achievements.
When asked if she believes that she is UFC's rising star, she answered "How does someone say something like that about themselves." She continues "I mean, what kind of self-absorbed, egotist would you have to be to go around and say, 'Yeah, I'm the biggest star around here'? It's crazy. I worry about getting myself ready to fight and doing my job to help sell it and I let other people figure out who is or who isn't a star. It doesn't matter to me."
But there is one thing that Rousey has not achieved yet and that is to land that major A-list sponsor. But not to worry as Rousey has hinted that she has a big deal on the way. That's good news for all Rousey fans as she seems a perfect for many big companies.
