5: First American Woman to win Olympic medal in Judo

Before conquering the mixed martial arts world, Ronda Rousey found success at the Olympic games. Back at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Ronda walked away with the Bronze medal in Judo and this in turn made her the first American woman to do so.

Apart from the Olympics, Rousey also won silver in the Judo World Championships back in 2007 and in the same year, she was a gold medallist in the Pan American Games. Rousey then managed to transition into mixed martial arts and her background in Judo was her biggest strength during the initial stages of her career. Ronda’s mother was also a Judoka and she was the first American Women to win a Judo World Championship.