Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is quickly becoming one of the most popular athletes in mixed martial arts and an appearance in ESPN The Magazine’s fourth annual Body Issue will only increase her popularity.
The 25-year-old is one of six athletes to be featured on different covers of the Body Issue. Others include Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, New York Knicks centre Tyson Chandler, the WTA’s Daniela Hantuchova and the WNBA’s Candace Parker.
“I had a lot of self image and body issues when I was a kid and it took a lot of time and work to really get over that,” Rousey said during her photo shoot. “I work hard, I’m proud of how I look and it’s something that should be celebrated. I can finally put my past issues behind me and be comfortably naked around people.
“I would like to have people see the more non-fighter side of me.”
Rousey, an Olympic bronze medal-winning judoka, is undefeated in five professional MMA bouts and recently defeated Miesha Tate to become champion. All of Rousey’s victories, including three amateur bouts, have ended in first-round armbars. Her bout with Tate is her only fight to last longer than one minute.
Her next title defence comes against Victoria, B.C.’s Sarah Kaufman in the main event of a Strikeforce event on Aug. 18 in San Diego.
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The issue goes on sale on July 13 and Rousey is the lone representative of MMA in the issue. All of Rousey’s photos were taken by Peggy Sirota.
