Sports IllustratedProfessional fighters aren't exactly known for their modesty, but Ronda Rousey isn't usually one to toot her own horn too loudly.
But hey, if you floored your competitor in 14 seconds once...
"I'm dropping all modesty here. That's the most brilliant f--king ninja s--t I ever saw," said the 28-year-old MMA champ, deemed the "World's Most Dominant Athlete" on Sports Illustrated's latest cover, when asked about her dominant win over Cat Zingano in UCF 184 in February.
"Every single millisecond of that fight was something that has never been done before in MMA."
Well, hence the spotlight that follows Rousey everywhere! The fighter/model/actress, who posed nude for the cover of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue in 2012 and made Maxim's Hot 100 list in 2013, co-starred in The Expendables 3, was also in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue this year, appeared in Furious 7 and kicks Turtle's ass in the upcoming Entourage movie.
Asked about the potential perils of fame, Rousey told SI, "I'm very lucky in that I'm surrounded by plenty of people that will not hesitate for one second to tell me to go f--k myself if I said something stupid. Or if I have an idea that's nuts, they'll tell me, ‘That's a crazy idea,' and I'll have to have a debate with them and be able to justify myself."
But first and foremost, she's a competitor.
"I like snakes and bugs and heights," Rousey said. "But fear of failure? Losing literally feels like dying to me."
"She's the greatest athlete I've ever worked with. By far," UFC president Dana White told SI. "Her personal life and professional life are as put together as anyone's. She'll do the work of 20 male fighters. She'll bury anyone...when you talk about a franchise player—anything we need, she's there for us."