Who are the Four Horsewomen of MMA? Find out what they're up to nowadays

Rona Rousey and Shayna Balszer [Images via: @rondarousey on Instagram]
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler [Images via: @rondarousey on Instagram]

The Four Horsewomen of MMA are a legendary group of female fighters that are recognized as pioneers in women's MMA. The members of the elite group – Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir – were all early friends and training partners in their mixed martial arts careers.

Ronda Rousey's career has been instrumental in establishing women's mixed martial arts as a legitimate sport. Rousey has enjoyed a remarkable multi-sport career, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo (bronze at the 2008 Olympics) and then becoming the first women's bantamweight champion in the UFC.

After two consecutive losses in the UFC, Rousey inked a contract with WWE in 2018 to pursue a career in professional wrestling. Since then, she has been a three-time women's world champion in WWE.

Shayna Baszler is a seasoned veteran of mixed martial arts who has fought in organizations like Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and the UFC. She had a brief run with the UFC (2013-2015) before being released by the organization after losing both her fights. Baszler transitioned to professional wrestling and began competing in regional circuits in 2015.

Baszler is a former two-time and longest combined-reigning NXT Women's Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Nia Jax.

Rousey and Baszler recently won the fatal four-way tag team match at Wrestlemania 39.

Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir have both made appearances on The Ultimate Fighter. In a press release dated May 7, 2018, WWE announced that Duke and Shafir had signed with WWE and had reported to the Performance Center for training.

In 2021, WWE released both MMA veterans. Meanwhile, Shafir has wrestled in other regional circuits. She is presently performing under the banner of All Elite Wrestling.

The Four Horsewomen are often cited as pioneers for women in mixed martial arts and have served as role models for a legion of female competitors. Women's MMA has gained more attention thanks to their efforts to build a supportive and encouraging culture within the sport.


Why did the Four Horsewomen of MMA vs. Four Horsewomen of WWE come together?

At one point, when all eight women were under contract with WWE, the long-awaited faction battle between the Four Horsewomen of WWE (Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch) and the Four Horsewomen in MMA (Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke) excited professional wrestling fans.

Duke and Shafir followed in the footsteps of Rousey and Baszler but have since been released from the organization.

It now appears unlikely for the two groups to ever compete in an eight-woman matchup. While Shafir is now affiliated with AEW, Duke has not wrestled at all since her release from WWE.

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