Ronda Rousey Might Be Making a Move to WWE

Rounda Rousey could join WWE after her upcoming retirement from the UFC, according to two anonymous sources who spoke to USA Today.

Rousey has successfully kept herself out of the public eye by refusing to speak to the media since her loss to Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds at the end of 2016. As a result, this rumored move to WWE must be pieced together with bits of circumstantial evidence. The two “people close to Rousey” who spoke to USA Today chose to do so anonymously because the details of her move to the WWE have not been nailed down just yet, and the move has not yet been announced. Furthermore, Rousey has been spotted working out at the WWE’s High Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.

Rousey was also caught at a WWE show in September of this year to watch her friend Shayna Baszler. During that fight, Rousey was seen staring down Charlotte Flair, a top woman’s wrestler. Rousey even challenged Flair, saying: “You name the time. You name the place.”

But the reaction to the potential news of Rousey’s switch has gotten mixed reactions from those close to her. “I love Ronda, and anything she can do to make money for her and her new husband then I am rooting for her,” Gene Le Bell, a longtime friend of Rousey’s, said. “She will get a lot of money, and that’s great.” He also said that she wouldn’t even need to be a permanent member of the WWE roster, and instead could be a spot wrestler making appearances at big events.

Similarly, legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross also sees a WWE career in Rousey's future."She’s going to be a big star," Ross said. "It’s inevitable. I see her in a WrestleMania someday. Too great an opportunity for her to pass up and for WWE to pass up. It’s a match made in heaven."

At the same time, though, UFC President Dana White, who also considers Rousey a close friend, has already expressed his concern for the rumored move. “I wouldn’t want to see it,” White said, according to MMA Junkie. “I wouldn’t want it to happen. I care about her. She has got money … and all that stuff. I don’t want to see it happen.”

Rousey’s effect on UFC has been undeniable. Even though she has lost her last several fights, she is also the reason White allowed women to be included in the official UFC roster. “She showed us what was possible for women and she showed what sort of level you have to be at to fight against the best and to be the best,” said Joanna Jedrzejczyk, women’s straw weight champion.