Ronda Rousey Poised To Become MMA’s Breakout Star

Ronda Rousey may be one of the toughest MMA fighters inside the cage, but the difficult-to-beat bantamweight seems ready to conquer another arena — Hollywood.

This week it was announced that she’ll make her Hollywood debut in Expendables 3, and with a popular television show and a high-powered agent in her corner, it appears Rousey is ready to become a crossover star.

Rousey has already made quite a splash in the world of mixed martial arts. She burst on the scene in 2004, when at age 17 she was the youngest judo competitor in the Athens Olympics.

Along the way Ronda Rousey also became one of the most marketable stars for the UFC, appearing on the cover of ESPN the Magazine twice, including an appearance in the 2012 Body Issue.

Now she seems ready to take her appeal to the world of movies.

Rousey has signed on with famed talent agency William Morris Endeavor, and is looking to take on a number of acting roles. There have been rumors that the UFC women’s bantamweight champion could appear in one of the Hunger Games sequels, and this week Sylvester Stallone announced on Twitter that she was going to appear in the latest Expendables movie.

“Ronda Rousey will show championship form in Expendables 3! So will multi champion Victor Ortiz!” he tweeted.

Rousey has already proven that she makes for compelling television. She was featured as a coach on the UFC reality show, Ultimate Fighter 18: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate, and her rivalry with fellow female fighter Meisha Tate drew strong ratings to the show.

“Miesha and Ronda hate each other,” said UFC President Dana White. “It’s like literally crazy drama every day.”

Rousey got another honor in May when Business Insider named her one of the 50 women changing the world.

ESPN also named Ronda Rousey one of the top influencers in sports, noting that she has the ability to bring the once brutal and strictly masculine sport to a new audience.

“Young girls by the generation are going to want to be the next her, and mothers won’t have a problem with it and fathers won’t be afraid for their daughters,” Scoop Jackson said. “Putting Rousey in position to do something that not even Laila Ali could do for women’s boxing: make society look at an entire sport differently.”

Now Ronda Rousey will see if she can have the same impact on Hollywood.