Ronda Rousey was making history in the UFC even before she stepped into the octagon.
The former UFC Bantamweight champion is a legend in MMA and one of the biggest draws the UFC has ever had.
Rousey was the first woman to headline a 1 million buy pay-per-view for her shock defeat to Holly Holm, putting an end to her legendary undefeated UFC streak.
That was a streak that began at UFC 157, which was bizarrely three months after Rousey became the UFC Bantamweight champion.
Ronda Rousey was awarded the UFC Bantamweight championship in a press conference before her debut fight in the promotion
Rousey’s reign as UFC Bantamweight champion came before her first fight in the UFC, in a bizarre situation that may never be repeated.
Prior to 2012, there were no female fighters in the UFC. That all changed when the promotion acquired Strikeforce, an MMA and kickboxing promotion that featured Rousey as their champion.
Once the deal had been completed and Strikeforce had been completely dissolved into the UFC, Dana White made a massive announcement at the UFC on Fox 5 press conference.
He brought out Rousey and announced her as “the first ever UFC Women’s champion” before handing her the belt, live, in front of a shocked crowd of journalists.
This was before he announced Rousey’s debut would be in the main event of UFC 157, defending her title against Liz Carmouche.
The bout wouldn’t be a long one, as Rousey forced Carmouche to tap out to the armbar on her debut to retain her belt.
Ronda Rousey broke the record for the quickest time to become champion in UFC history
Being handed the title, albeit earned through her work in Strikeforce, earned Rousey a record that will likely never be broken.
She was made champion three months before making her debut in the UFC. She held the belt whilst in her first fight, taking the fewest days to become champion after her debut (0).
As it was under exceptional circumstances, it seems crazy to think any fighter can ever match that.
| Fighter | Days between UFC debut and title win | UFC fights (including title win) |
| Ronda Rousey | 0 | 0 |
| Anderson Silva | 108 | 2 |
| Rampage Jackson | 166 | 2 |
| Brock Lesnar | 277 | 3 |
| Zhang Weili | 392 | 4 |
Even the exceptional Brock Lesnar, who became UFC Heavyweight champion in just his third fight, took 277 days to win his first belt.
Anderson Silva holds the male record, winning the world title 108 days after his debut in the promotion.
Rousey holds the all-time record, and unless the UFC absorbs another promotion and their titles in a previously unrepresented division, Rousey’s record may well stay forever.