Forbes names Ronda Rousey eighth-highest paid female athlete in the world
Fighting isn't an easy way to make a living wage, but according to financial magazine Forbes, UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey's hard work resulted in her being one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. Rousey came in at number eight on the list, to be exact.
Using her public fight purses, sponsorship deals with the likes of MetroPCS, Reebok, Monster Headphones, Carl's Jr., and David Bitton, roles in three major motion pictures, and sales from her best-selling autobiography, Forbes estimated Rousey's earnings from June 2014 to June 2015 at $6.5 million. That is, of course, only an estimate.
Hopefully Rousey made even more. After all, UFC 190 -- which she headlined -- is estimated to have been one of the top-selling pay-per-views in UFC history and Rousey likely got a percentage of all those buys, upping her yearly income considerably.
This is Rousey's first time on the Forbes list. She ranks behind number one on the list, tennis pro Maria Sharapova ($29.7 million), number two Tennis star Serena Williams ($24.6 million) and others like race car driver Danica Patrick ($13.9 million).
Six out of the top seven female spots went to tennis players, in fact. Patrick and Rousey stood out as extreme sport representatives in the top 10. Considering that Rousey has only been in the fight game a few years, she has to be happy with her hard-earned progress.
She very well may be the highest-paid MMA athlete in the world, at this point. Way to be, Rowdy one!
