5 UFC legends who competed at the Olympics

#2. Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey in a judo competition

Ronda Rousey started competing internationally in judo at the age of 14. She went on to compete at the Olympics and then become a UFC legend. She is on Mount Rushmore when speaking about pioneering women MMA fighters. Rousey was the first woman to be signed by the UFC, the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion, and the first female fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

When Ronda Rousey took part in her first Olympic Games in 2004, at the age of 17, she was the youngest judoka to qualify. While she did not find much success in Athens, she quickly bounced back and set herself up for greatness from 2005 to 2008.

In those three years, 'Rowdy' captured three Pan American Judo championship medals and a gold medal from the Pan American Games. She also qualified for her second Olympic outing in 2008 and went on to grab a bronze medal.

Ronda Rousey has been largely successful in her MMA career as well. Her 12-fight winning streak, which spanned over five years, ended in 2015. Prior to her downfall, she was an unstoppable force with only stoppage wins, nine of which came via submission.

Ronda Rousey is a true UFC legend bound to be revered even more when we factor her record at the Olympics into her overall legacy.

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#1. Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier in a freestyle wrestling match

Daniel Cormier has been wrestling since he was a kid. The former UFC double-champ has been an outstanding wrestler since childhood, be it at the state level, the national level, or the Olympics. At the age of 16, he won bronze in the 1995 world championship in the Greco-Roman wrestling cadet (15-16) division.

Check out my olympic trials finals match in 2004 vs 2x NCAA champion Tim Hartung to make my first Olympic team. Young DC could move and go hard lol. Give it a look! https://t.co/HIiVpvCJJn

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) May 7, 2020

'DC' won six senior U.S. national championships each year from 2003 to 2008, while also representing team USA at world level in those years. He qualified for the 2004 Olympics in freestyle wrestling, where he came fourth after losing in the semifinals. The UFC legend qualified once again for the Olympic Games in 2008 and was named team captain. However, he pulled out due to kidney failure after excessive weight cutting.

Daniel Cormier switched to MMA in 2009 and went on to become one of the greatest fighters of all time. He went 22-3-1 in 12 years, becoming the second fighter in the UFC to win titles in two divisions simultaneously (light heavyweight and heavyweight).