Ronda Rousey to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame on July 5

LAS VEGAS -- Ronda Rousey will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 5, the company announced Saturday night.

Rousey was the first female champion in the UFC, holding the bantamweight title from 2012 to 2015 and defending it on six different occasions. She won her first 12 professional fights, all by submission, most of which ended in less than a minute.

Rousey holds the record for four of the five fastest finishes in the history of the UFC women's bantamweight division.

The former judo champion and Olympic bronze medalist was one of the most dominant and popular athletes the sport has ever seen.

"There would be no women in the UFC without Ronda Rousey," UFC president Dana White said. "Ronda is a pioneer who helped me personally, and a lot of other people, see women differently in combat sports. She accomplished everything she set out to do with the UFC and became a global icon and role model in the process. Today, the female divisions are loaded with incredibly talented fighters and 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 sense of invincibility until her second-round knockout loss to Holly Holm in 2015. She returned a year later but was knocked out again, this time in just 48 seconds of the first round against Amanda Nunes.

Rousey has not competed in mixed martial arts since that defeat. She signed with WWE in January 2018.

She will be the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place in Las Vegas.