Who is Cecilie Bolander? Learn more about the Norwegian mixed martial artist often compared to Ronda Rousey

Cecilie Bolander is a mixed martial artist from Norway, who has recently come into the limelight for the similarities she has with Ronda Rousey, the former UFC superstar.

Bolander, who is 27 years old, boasts an extensive Judo background and, much like Rousey did back in the day, has transitioned successfully to mixed martial arts.

She made the switch to MMA shortly before the pandemic and has been attempting to make a name for herself ever since. Back then, she had to choose between competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) or MMA, and she chose the latter.

Cecilie Bolander has also welcomed the comparisons with Ronda Rousey, who went on to become a megastar and arguably the biggest female mixed martial artist of all time.

Speaking to The AllStar, Bolander said:

"In my first amateur fight, we went hard out when it comes to the press on it. Me and my manager wanted to make a loud statement out of it. I thought it was fun and in Norway, we made it out that I was gonna be the new Ronda Rousey. This was when I first stepped in, there were a lot of exciting things the first time I was stepping into the MMA cage, and once I got to go pro, it was exciting, but it felt more like, finally, we're here, we're done with the first fight, let the fun begin."

Check out Cecilie Bolander's comments here:

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Cecilie Bolander - What does her MMA record look like?

According to Tapology, the Norwegian former judoka holds a professional MMA record of 3-0, with two submission wins and one decision victory to her name. Prior to going pro, she went 7-1 as an amateur, with all seven of her wins coming via submission.

Much like Ronda Rousey, Bolander is known for her armbar. In her amateur career, six out of her seven submissions came by way of the move. That trend hasn't changed since she turned pro, as two out of her three professional wins came via armbar.

Her most recent fight took place in November 2023, when she faced Nina Nikolija Milosevic at Superior Challege 26. It was one of her closest fights to date, but she managed to edge out the split decision victory.