Ronda Rousey didn’t have a typical rise to the top. In her younger days, Rousey dropped out of high school and the future looked uncertain (and perhaps bleak). Stepping in her mom’s footsteps, Rousey pursued a career in judo. She became an Olympian as a teen but that was only beginning.
Soon enough, she started to empower women as one of the greatest UFC stars of all-time. At that point, not only was she travelling with the company but she was also hopping on planes for various endorsement deals along with film and television roles.
Although she left the UFC, that hectic lifestyle might be even crazier nowadays. One day she’s at a press conference answering questions for her part in the new Mortal Kombat game, the next, she’s working a tag match on live television in Oklahoma alongside Natalya. In truth, she’s travelling a lot more today with the WWE in comparison to her UFC days.
In this article, we’ll take a lengthy look at Ronda’s travelling career featuring photos she wanted to take and those that she did not.
For the most part, Rousey is willing to take a photo and you’ll also get a smile out of her. Of course, it is all circumstantial. If she just got off an 11 hour flight, chances are she won’t be in the best mood as evidenced by the photos in this article.
Enjoy folks and like always be sure to share this page with a friend. Let’s get started!
20 Didn’t Want - Sleepy At The Montreal Airport
Clearly in this photo Rousey isn’t having the easiest time dealing with that travel grind. Back in her UFC days, Rousey wasn’t travelling all that much usually training nearby her home. Nowadays with the WWE, she’s on the road for at least two shows per week, sometimes even three.
She wants to catch up on sleep during the fights so she wisely decided to bring a pillow along with a comfortable hockey hoodie, no doubt she got some extra marks for her attire especially with those in Montreal.
19 Wanted To Take - With A Young Fan At The Airport Terminal
Although Rousey has a serious demeanor, as evidenced by her UFC and WWE careers, she is actually quite the sweetheart with her peers and the fans. Some might even say that Rousey is quite shy, depending on the situation.
She doesn’t look aggravated in the slightest in this photo, smiling from ear to ear. This fan was blown away by the experience posting the photo to Twitter. Despite the road grind, Rousey keeps her spirits up with the fans - that’s definitely admirable and we can’t say the same for the other wrestlers.
18 Didn’t Want - Rousey Avoids Cameras In Australia
A flight to Australia isn’t necessarily a pleasant one for WWE Superstars given the amount of time it takes to get there. These Superstars take various bumps during the week along with maintaining rigorous training habits - so sitting on a flight for hours can get irritable real fast.
That was the case for Rousey as she wasn’t looking at any of the cameras, instead paying attention to her man Travis Browne. In all likelihood, she just wanted to get to the hotel and settle in.
17 Wanted To Take - All Smiles Leaving Melbourne
On the contrary, Ronda was all smiles at the airport when it was time to depart, unlike what we saw in the prior entry during her arrival. Without a doubt, Rousey was feeling a lot better knowing it was time to head back home and that her six-women tag match was done with (and it went down quite well).
She was caught smiling and taking selfies with a lot of the fans. The gesture was appreciated given that a lot of the other wrestlers didn’t stop at all for any type of photo at the airport.
16 Didn’t Want - Quick Selfie In Buenos Aires
Ironically Rousey stopped in Buenos Aires both with the UFC and WWE. Most recently this past December, Ronda took part in the tour taking on Nia Jax. She received quite the ovation by the overseas crowd.
The picture above is one most wrestlers absolutely despise. It catches them off guard and it is kind of sneaky. Though we must sympathize with the young fan, at the very least they got somewhat of a photo with Rousey without the hassle of having her stop and pose for the picture.
15 Wanted To Take - In Melbourne With UFC in 2015
As you’ll see later on, Rousey wasn’t feeling the same way when it was time to go back home. She entered Australia quite confidentially, she was defending her championship at UFC 193.
In front of a record breaking crowd of over 56,000, Rousey lost her first match at the Etihad Stadium in what was considered at the time one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history. She wasn’t smiling for the cameras once it was time to head back home, scroll down to the second last entry on this list to find out what we’re talking about.
14 Didn’t Want - Dodging Autographs
This is something athletes, wrestlers and celebs all must deal with. Fans just waiting at the airports with various memorabilia just waiting for it to be signed – we can understand why this can be frustrating.
It is especially frustrating when athletes like Rousey encounter the same fan over and over again. That might be the reason Rousey completely dodges this dude at the LAX airport. Posing for a selfie that’s totally spontaneous is one thing, but signing an autograph for a fan than knows you’re coming is an entirely different ordeal.
13 Wanted To Take - In A Good Mood Leaving LAX
Rousey is all smiles in the photo above and seriously, why wouldn’t she be considering her rise to the top. Rousey grew up with very little, even dropping out high school. Travelling seemed like an impossibility at that point. However, taking a liking for judo and walking in her mom’s footsteps, slowly lots of doors started to open.
Not only has she travelled with WWE and UFC but she has also rode on airplanes for various movie roles along with a plethora of endorsement deals.
12 Didn’t Want - Arriving At The Bahamas
Whether it be celebrities or normal folks like us, we all have that time of the year that is meant for us to unwind and let go of all the stresses from our everyday lives. We can only imagine the value of that for an athlete like Rousey who is constantly on the go.
With all that being said, the last thing she wanted was a candid photo when arriving at the Bahamas. Dressed in pure comfort and holding her pillow, Rousey doesn’t look to be in the mood for pictures but instead, relaxation.
11 Wanted To Take - Backstage With Fans At NXT
Prior to joining the WWE, Rousey visited the behind the scenes multiple times, flying out to a couple of NXT shows that featured one her best friends, Shayna Baszler. Perhaps it was then when she truly got the itch to jump into the squared circle?
She was always the loudest fan and over enthused at the spectacle of a WWE show. It is shown in this photo as she’s all smiles while sporting a shy look with a couple of WWE fans.
10 Didn’t Want - Ronda & Husband In The Background While Triple H Get Swamped
When WWE visits another country, the atmosphere is usually a crazy one and that starts at the airport. Fans are excited to see the wrestlers given how rare it is for them to come to their neck of the woods. In addition, security is a lot less compared to in the US, leading to fans getting a closer view.
In this photo, Triple H is getting bombarded while Rousey and her husband look on from a distance. Given that they just got off a long flight, the last thing they want to do is take pictures and meet fans.
9 Wanted To Take - Smiling At The Cameras With Her Former Boss
Prior to joining Vince McMahon and Triple H’s company, Rousey became a household name alongside Dana White. During UFC’s boom period, Rousey was one of the most influential names the company had to offer. Because of that, Ronda grew close to her former employer Dana White. Even during her WWE debut White was in the crowd supporting Rousey despite the fact that some view WWE and UFC as rivals.
It all worked out for Rousey and who knows, maybe at some point in the future she’ll rejoin UFC. Probably not, but it is okay to dream!
8 Didn’t Want - Wedding Band Ripped In Half Before Hall Of Fame
“Watch my amazing husband @travisbrownemma rip my wedding band in half with his butt right before the @UFC hall of fame ceremony. It’s funny in hindsight, not at the time.”
Rousey posted this tweet on route to her Hall of Fame induction with the UFC. It was supposed to be a memorable travelling experience but that turned south when this situation arose. Her husband accidentally sat on her wedding band, ripping it in the process. The timing wasn’t the greatest as they were headed to the ceremony. Yikes!
7 Wanted To Take - Taking A Selfie With The Fans Pre UFC 172
Despite Ronda’s tough UFC career ending, she is forever remembered as one of the very best, beating opponents with ease around the world with the UFC. Prior to her defeats, Rousey was steamrolling by her opponents. Matches would only last mere seconds before Rousey would typically have her opponents at her mercy, tapping out.
With all that success came lots of popularity which Ronda handled with so much class throughout her mixed martial arts career. This photo is an example of that as she poses for a picture with a large group of fans.
6 Didn’t Want - No Pictures Please At LAX
Dressed for comfort, Ronda blocks off picture attempts as she leaves the airport and immediately gets in her transportation. It all depends on the mood and on that day, Rousey just wasn’t having it.
In truth, she usually stops and that’s even true for the likes of TMZ - Rousey almost always stops and answers whatever questions they might have unless she’s in a hurry like in the photo above. Given her commitment to the fans and her crazy travel schedule, we’ll give her the pass for just wanting to go home.
5 Wanted To Take - All Smiles At LAX
This photo proves that it all depends on one’s mood. At the same airport, Rousey is all smiles this time around. She’s usually caught at the LAX airport given that she lives in Venice, California. It might be easier to catch Rousey fresh before she hops on a flight than catching her on the way back, totally tired and just wanting to go home.
She seems real fresh in this photo, smiling for all the cameras and taking all the questions on that day.
4 Didn’t Want - Leaving The Airport
Again these are the types of sneaky pictures athletes and celebs really don’t like. Ronda’s in her private transportation as an onlooker snaps an unsuspecting photo from a location nearby. Ronda doesn’t notice as her attention seems to be elsewhere.
We’re not saying don’t take a photo but maybe try to ask permission and if they turn down the request, that’s that. This person skips that part taking a photo Rousey didn’t approve - she seems to preoccupied with other things. Remember, Rousey is a human like the rest of us.
3 Wanted To Take - Post WWE Debut
Fans thought she was on the other side of the world shooting a movie. However, in January of 2018, Rousey made the trip to Philadelphia, showing up at her first ever WWE event, the Royal Rumble.
She’s seen here with a smile from ear-to-ear, overcome with emotions that she officially joined the company. Exactly a year later, she’s entering the same event with the Women’s Championship around her waist, not a bad first year wouldn’t you say? We can only expect Rousey to improve.
2 Didn’t Want - At LAX Following The Holly Holm Defeat
This is a forgettable moment Rousey wants to keep in the past. After her first defeat to Holly Holm, Rousey found herself on the other side of the world in Australia. Once the long flight came to an end, various cameras waited to Rousey at LAX. She was in no mood to talk or take photos.
Wanting to keep her battle wounds to herself Rousey covered up as the paparazzi and press tried to snap photos. Looking back, we assume Ronda would have played this one out quite differently.
1 Wanted To Take - All Smiles For The Selfie
Starting off as an Olympian in Judo, perhaps Rousey herself even back then couldn’t have envisioned such a lifestyle, empowering women around the world. She left her mark with the UFC and she now continues to do the same as a travelling act with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Despite the busy schedule, we know Rousey truly loves what she’s doing given her constant smile behind the scenes while travelling. This is yet another example as the signature smile is on full display with this lucky fan outside of the airport.