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Edith Bosch, Who Broke Ronda Rousey’s Hopes of Winning an Olympic Gold Medal in 2008, Opens up on Facing the Former UFC Champion In an MMA Fight

Published 09/07/2022, 4:00 PM EDT

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Ronda Rousey is the only woman to win a championship in both UFC and WWE. Before her foray into the MMA world, she was a Judoka and took part in the Olympics. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she was beaten in the quarterfinals but still claimed a bronze medal.

Edith Bosch, the Olympian who beat her, once opened up on possibly facing ‘The Baddest Woman on the Planet’ in MMA.


Bosch was the Dutch Olympian who halted Rousey’s run at the Olympics 14 years ago.

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The then 21-year-old Rousey had a fantastic outing at the Beijing 2008 before being beaten by the former World Champion Bosch. After this, Rousey entered MMA and made a name for herself in the UFC. There she became the first Bantamweight Champion and then a Hall of Famer.

Bosch once talked about the mentality of the former UFC Champion, saying she was always ‘rowdy’ even during her judo career.

“For her, the fight already starts here:” Edith Bosch opens up about Ronda Rousey

Edith Bosch, a three-time Olympic judo medalist, revealed the mentality of Rousey while talking about how Rousey was in the weigh-in room.

She said, “everything starts with the weigh-in. Everybody is always silent and quiet because a lot of people have to lose weight. When she got into the weigh-in room, she was… talking loud and all busy, and wearing pajamas. I always looked at her and I wondered, Okay, for her, (the fight) already starts here. On the mat, she is a b—h. But you have to be. I was too. We didn’t talk”.

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USA Today’s Martin Rogers asked Bosch about joining MMA and Rousey, which she ruled out, saying, “I thought about it a couple of times. Of course, you are wondering what would happen if I picked up MMA as well and we were in a cage and really got it on. … I would really love to punch her, though.”

Interestingly enough, Bosch remained the last person to defeat the former UFC star in a competitive fight for seven years. This was until Holly Holm’s win over Rousey at UFC 193.

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The defeat against Bosch at the Olympics had left Rousey shattered.

She stated, “that was my childhood dream and I spent my whole life in pursuit of (gold), I had to give that up and come to terms with the fact that it wasn’t for me. I have always been heartbroken from that.

The former RAW Women’s Champion also named Bosch as her fiercest competitive enemy in her autobiography, ‘My Fight/Your Fight‘.

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A battle with depression and financial struggles followed Rousey before she fought back to conquer the world of MMA and then WWE. Today, she stands tall as one of the most recognized athletes in the world and is a true global star.

Watch This Story: Ronda Rousey’s worst beefs from Michael Phelps to Lady Gaga

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Written by:

Sherjeel Malik

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Sherjeel Malik is a WWE writer at Essentially Sports. He has been a passionate Wrestling fan since childhood and his all-time favorites include 'The Hardy Boyz' and Randy Orton. Sherjeel also follows soccer religiously and is a Liverpool fan.
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Edited by:

Sreeda U M