Ronda Rousey could be joining the WWE circuit soon, with sources telling USA Today on Wednesday that the former UFC champion and Olympian was finalizing a wrestling deal.
USA Today said speculation over Rousey's next professional venture had been leaning toward to World Wrestling Entertainment for months since she made appearance at a WWE event in September and appeared to challenge wrestler Charlotte Flair.
"You name the time, you name the place," Rousey, 30, told Flair at the event, in a video posted on YouTube by the WWE. That left some to suspect that she could participate in Wrestlemania 34 set for New Orleans on April 8.
It was just two years ago when Rousey was riding on top of the sports world with a undefeated record in the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit and her pop culture status rose to the point where she appeared in the movies 2015 "Entourage" and 2014 "The Expendables 2" with Sylvester Stallone.
But that came crashing down Nov. 14, 2015, when she was handily beaten by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in a title fight. Her next bout wasn't much better. She was beaten by Amanda Nunes in the first round during UFC 207 on Dec. 30, 2016, ESPN reported.
In August, Rousey married fiancée and UFC fighter Travis Browne in Hawaii, People magazine reported.
Martin Rogers, of USA Today Sports blog MMA Junkie, called Rousey a "trailblazer" when she first entered the UFC, saying she "is credited with being singlehandedly responsible for persuading (UFC president Dana) White to introduce women into the company's roster.”
"Assuming there is no return in her future, she departs while still one of the UFC's biggest stars, perhaps without saying anything at all and for a new adventure where she might make even more money," he added.
The Sporting News reported that Rousey made a celebrity appearance at Wrestlemania 31 with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. She is also a close friend with current WWE wrestler and former training partner Shayna Bazsler.
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