Ronda Rousey’s Record Once ‘On The Rocks,’ Now Serving Up Energy Drinks

Ronda Rousey’s record is one of the most unbeatable in the UFC, but the bantamweight champion wasn’t always breaking records and backs. One time, she actually served customers in a completely different way.

One would probably think twice about asking the undefeated MMA fighter for a martini on the rocks, but that’s what she did for a while before she became the fighter we know today. After winning the bronze medal in Judo for the 2008 Olympics, Rousey was broke. As any artist knows, you need a job before you can make a career, and Ronda was just like the rest of us.

Ronda was doing whatever she could to make ends meet but she was having trouble, said Christian Frizzelli, according to USA Today. She had thrown the first pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers before sitting directly in front of Frizzelli, the owner of Redwood Bar and Grill in downtown Los Angeles. He said, “we got talking and I found out that she wasn’t having an easy time finding work. She had been a bartender before and I hired her on the spot.”

At this point, it was Ronda Rousey’s record of serving drinks which landed her a job. Apparently, scoring the bronze medal in the Olympics wasn’t impressive enough for sports figures to take notice. Of course, seven years ago, WWE was the most popular fighting network around and the UFC was a general underdog.

Though winning a grant for $10,000 in the Beijing Olympics, it didn’t last long after paying the rent and buying a second-hand car. Not quite succeeding at making a living with her dream, however, Ronda hung up her belt … behind the bar. At that point Ronda Rousey’s record helped her engage in sports chat with lawyers and civil servants paying for shots and the like.

Most of Ronda’s road to the UFC championship is explained in her book titled with her last name, Rousey, co-written by her sister Maria Burns Ortiz.

Now Ronda is climbing the ranks of Hollywood, ever so slowly. While agreeing to appear in Expendables 3 and Furious 7, and with a cameo in Entourage, she still persists in defending her title. In the future, she hopes to expand on her film career with a lead role in the remake of Road House and possibly the titular role in the MCU’s Captain Marvel. Ronda Rousey’s record in film still needs work, but just like in the ring, she’s nowhere close to giving up.

Before arm bars, Ronda Rousey tended bar in L.A. https://t.co/P3P8FCbfs1

— fati101 (@fati1011) November 6, 2015

Ronda’s fame is expanding, having now signed an endorsement deal with Monster Energy. Being the undefeated bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey’s record makes her just the kind of athlete that Monster appears to be looking for. Fox Sports quoted Vice President of Sports Marketing Mitch Covington’s shining endorsement.

“We are excited to welcome Ronda to our team. Not only is she regarded as the world’s most dominant athlete, but she is also an inspiration to all as one of the most iconic MMA fighters of all time with her unsurpassed drive, commitment, star power and worldwide crossover fan base that has made her a true champion.”

Now one of the most popular MMA athletes in the world, Ronda has come a long way from her days of tending bar in downtown Los Angeles. She’s not serving shots of whiskey as much as she’s serving arm bars to hopeful challengers, and usually ends the round in slightly more time than it takes most people to finish the drink.

What do you think of Ronda Rousey’s record? Does she deserve her rise from tending bar to delivering arm bars for the UFC?

[Photo by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images]