With the hype of the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble becoming feverish, there has been a lot of speculation that there could be some major surprises to appear in the match. With names such as former Divas Champion Michelle McCool and former Women’s Champion Molly Holly to join the list of entrants, the match is expected to be full of shocking moments. One of the biggest names discussed as being a part of the match is former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey.
In 2011, Rousey dominated the sports of mixed martial arts in a major way. In fact, for her first seven fights, she won in the first round by submission. On December 28, 2013, at UFC 168 , Rousey would end this first round winning streak when she defeated Miesha Tate, but it was still via armbar in the third round of the bout. For her next four fights, she would go back to winning in the first round, defeating Sara McMann, Alexis Davis, Cat Zingano, and Bethe Correia.
Unfortunately, Rousey’s trail of dominance would end at UFC 193 against Holly Holm. An enormous underdog, Holm shocked the world and defeated Rousey 59 seconds in the second round. Rousey took a 13-month hiatus from MMA to train and deal with personal emotional hurdles. When she returned, Rousey suffered another loss against champion Amanda Nunes. This was widely speculated to be Rousey’s last match inside the octagon.
Rousey’s next transition is thought to be training for a position in the WWE. During a recent conference call, Triple H stated that Rousey has been training for quite some time to become a professional wrestler, and she is preparing for an in-ring debut.
Recently, TMZ caught Triple H and Rousey having a private dinner, which was noticeably before the Royal Rumble, occurring on January 28. During this encounter, there was no confirmation or denial that she will be a part of the match.
However, according to a more recent interview with TMZ , Rousey denied that she will be appearing at the Royal Rumble. The reason why is due to her being out of the country, in Colombia, to finish filming the movie Mile 22 , and will not be back in the United States until mid-February.
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Rousey also added that there is still not an official contract. Of course, this could be a way to lure people to think otherwise, but it could legitimately be a reason why she will indeed not be in the match.
