She made what seemed impossible possible – the Rousey show returns

Fighting for a bigger cause – the Rousey show returnsFigure caption, ‘I could be most powerful figure in MMA since Dana White’ – RouseyByPaul BattisonBBC Sport JournalistPublished2 hours agoRonda Rousey remembers vividly the moment she first believed she could achieve anything that she wanted to.In 1984, her mother, AnnMaria De Mars, became the first American to win a gold medal at the World Judo Championships.De Mars lit a fire inside Rousey which hasn’t stopped burning. From winning Olympic judo bronze for America in 2008 to being the first woman to sign for the UFC, Rousey has built a career on doing the seemingly impossible.While UFC president Dana White once mentioned no woman would ever fight in the promotion, Rousey not only did it but became one of the company’s biggest and best paid stars.Then there was a spell in WWE where she again fought for equality for women, to becoming an actress, best-selling author and a mother.Now Rousey’s fire is ablaze with a new challenge.On Saturday, the 39-year-old is set to end a 10-year retirement from MMA when she faces fellow American Gina Carano in a featherweight bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.Not only does Rousey want to “rewrite her ending” in the sport, she wants to challenge the UFC, campaign for better fighter pay and dip her toes into promoting.Rousey told BBC Sport she has one simple message for White and the other UFC chiefs: “Pay the fighters better. I wouldn’t be here if you paid fighters better.”There has never been a mainstay, major female promoter in MMA or boxing.Like her previous endeavours, Rousey is fighting for a bigger cause. “It’s not just about men or women now. It’s about giving fighters their power back and reminding people it’s about the fighters,” mentioned Rousey. “It’s not a brand, it’s about the fighters. I want them to be able to reap the rewards of their labour.”Carano bout to ‘smash’ women’s fight pay record – Rousey