Ronda Rousey will be inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame on July 5, the promotion announced Saturday night.
Rousey was the UFC's first women's champion, holding the bantamweight belt from 2012 until 2015, and defending it six different times. She won her first 12 professional fights, all by submission -- most of which were finished in less than a minute.
Rousey owns records for four of the five fastest finishes in UFC women's bantamweight history.
The former judo champion and Olympic bronze medalist was one of the most dominant and popular athletes the sport ever has seen.
"There would be no women in UFC without Ronda Rousey," UFC President Dana White said. "Ronda is an absolute pioneer who helped me personally, and a lot of other people, look at women in combat sports differently. She accomplished everything she set out to do with UFC and became a global icon and role model in the process. Today, the women's divisions are packed with incredibly talented fighters and they produce some of the best fights you'll ever see. We're proud to announce Ronda as the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame."
Rousey had a feeling of invincibility until her second-round knockout loss to Holly Holm in 2015. She returned one year later but was knocked out again, this time just 48 seconds into the first round to Amanda Nunes.
Rousey has not competed in MMA since that loss. She signed with the WWE in January 2018.
She will be the first female inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place in Las Vegas.
