This week, UFC FIGHT PASS honors the female athletes of combat sports. Today, look back at the greatest moments in the career of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

Sarah D’Alelio
Strikeforce Challengers 18 – August 12, 2011 (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)

After three amateur and two pro wins, all ending in the first round via armbar submission, Ronda Rousey was well known to hardcore fight followers when it was announced that she was signed to a Strikeforce contract. More casual fans were about to get their dose of “Rowdy” Ronda on August 12, 2011, and the Californian didn’t disappoint, as she finished D’Alelio in just 25 seconds by way of – you guessed it – armbar.

Miesha Tate I
Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey – March 3, 2012 (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)

After Rousey dispatched Julia Budd in 39 seconds three months after her Strikeforce debut, the only logical bout was against someone who quickly became her rival, the promotion’s bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate. It was clearly the biggest fight to be made in women’s MMA, and you have to remember that at this time, the UFC didn’t have any women’s divisions and UFC President Dana White was adamant that it would stay that way. At least until this fight. With the attention shown to the bout, the charisma of both combatants, and the high-level skill they both showed on fight night, White was convinced that the UFC was ready for the ladies. Of course, taking away the historical aspect of this matchup, there was still a fight to be fought, and Rousey was as dominant as ever, defeating her toughest opponent to date by first-round submission, nearly taking Tate’s arm home with her in the process.

Sarah Kaufman
Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman – August 18, 2012 (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)

Rousey had made her point to the world with wins over wrestlers and grapplers, and while Julia Budd came from a striking background, former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman was a level above most on the feet, so the question leading into their summer of 2012 title fight was whether the unbeaten Rousey could take a punch from a striker used to knocking people out. Well, we never found out, as Rousey again proved to be a one of a kind finisher, submitting Kaufman in less than a minute. Next stop, UFC.

Liz Carmouche
UFC 157 – February 23, 2013 (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)

History was made at the Honda Center in Anaheim in February of 2013, and for one night, it was the Ronda Center, as the newly crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion – Rousey – submitted Liz Carmouche in the first round of the first female fight ever seen in the UFC. That’s the condensed version. The expanded one is that before Rousey’s armbar ended matters, Carmouche caught Rousey in a rear naked choke and nearly changed the WMMA universe before it even picked up momentum. In the end though, both fighters showed that women belonged in the UFC, Rousey showed heart, and the fun was just beginning.

Miesha Tate II
UFC 168 – December 28, 2013 (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)

Rousey nearly breaking Tate’s arm in their first meeting did nothing to cool down the rivalry between the two, and things only escalated during their coaching stint against each other on The Ultimate Fighter 18. But what was expected to be a repeat in their UFC 168 rematch instead pushed Rousey further than she had ever gone before. The ultra-tough Tate pushed the champ out of the first round for the first time, but Rousey didn’t go away. Instead, she kept the heat on Tate until finishing her in the third round of an exciting battle that earned Fight and Submission of the Night honors.

The Blitz (McMann, Davis, Zingano)
UFC 170 – McMann (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
UFC 175 – Davis (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)
UFC 184 – Zingano (Watch on UFC FIGHT PASS)

The hype surrounding Ronda Rousey continued to grow after UFC 168, with magazine covers, mainstream features, and movie roles following in rapid succession. For any other fighter, it would have been cause to be distracted and lose focus. Rousey just got more intimidating and devastating in the Octagon, and in her three title defenses against Sara McMann, Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano, she looked unstoppable, defeating that world-class trio of foes in 66, 16, and 14 seconds, respectively. Sports Illustrated went on to call Rousey the most dominant athlete in sports that year, and they were right on target with that description. Rousey would go on to blast out Bethe Correia in 34 seconds in August 2015, and while Holly Holm removed the 135-pound crown from her possession three months after that bout, Rousey’s devastating run at the top was something no one will ever forget.

If there were any questions remaining from Max Holloway‘s first win over Jose Aldo, the reigning featherweight champion answered them in the rematch on Saturday night at UFC 218 in Detroit.

In his first title defense against the man he beat to win the belt, Holloway put on a masterful performance, in many ways outdoing his last outing against Aldo as he dominated from bell to bell before getting a third-round finish once again.

Aldo definitely looked ready to fight, just like the last time, but Holloway was brimming with confidence as he stalked the Brazilian around the Octagon, throwing combinations in succession and constantly popping the former champion with long jabs and then following up with hard punches to the head and body.

By the third round, Aldo was showing sights of exhaustion and that only made Holloway hit the gas that much more as he began pressing forward with even more aggression. Holloway battered Aldo until he finally got the fight to the ground, much like the first bout back in June.

From there, it was all Holloway as he poured on the punishment until referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight as the 25-year-old Hawaiian held on to his title with another picture-perfect performance.

While the first matchup between these two featherweight legends was very close according to fantasy players, the rematch saw a huge swing in Holloway’s favor. The reigning champion had 78 percent of fantasy players picking him with another 75 percent picking him to win by knockout. Holloway came through with another win while also earning the players who picked him an extra 150 points because it was a title fight.

In the co-main event, Francis Ngannou secured his spot as the No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division with a jaw-dropping first-round knockout over Alistair Overeem. The clubbing left hand that ended Overeem’s night was a knockout for the ages as Ngannou picked up the biggest win of his career and now awaits his chance to challenge heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

Ngannou was a huge favorite going into the card, with 78 percent of fantasy players picking him and an overwhelming majority at 94 percent selecting him to finish the fight by knockout.

Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo enjoyed similar odds, with 75 percent of fantasy players picking him to defeat Sergio Pettis and that’s exactly what he did with a dominant performance over three rounds.

The first upset on the main card took place in the battle between Ultimate Fighter coaches as former lightweight championTecia Torres pulled off the other upset on the main card as she took out Michelle Waterson over the course of three rounds after just 36 percent of fantasy players picked her at UFC 218.

On the preliminary portion of the card, Paul Felder picked up his third straight win with a TKO against Charles Oliveira after 57 percent of fantasy players picked him. David Teymur and Felice Herrig followed suit as favorites on the prelims with 70 percent and 80 percent of fantasy players, respectively, picking them as they both came away victorious.

In the lone prelim upset, Yancy Medeiros earned Fight of the Night honors with his stunning performance in a back and forth war against Alex Oliveira after only 23 percent of fantasy players selected him.

DETROIT – Michelle Waterson said people we’re coming up to her all week asking why her UFC 218 fight – a five-six matchup in the strawweight division against Tecia Torres – wasn’t getting more attention.

A stunned Waterson squinted and replied, “Did you see the card? It’s freaking stacked,” she said.

Matchmakers Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby really put together a can’t-miss collection of fights and the athletes delivered. Eddie Alvarez–Justin Gaethje and Yancy Medeiros–Alex Oliveira were so good that UFC president Dana White awarded them both Fight of the Night Honors.

Paul Felder’s vicious ground and pound TKO finish against Charles Oliveira was overshadowed by the night’s unbelievable fights. Same thing happened to Henry Cejudo, who put forth a wrestling masterclass to stymie Sergio Pettis is a huge flyweight bout.

The true measure of a fight card is always going to be the headliners. Francis Ngannou demonstrated another level of his scary power when he landed a cartoon-like uppercut on Alistair Overeem that sent his head back like it had been run over by a truck.

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway won his 12th in a row in another dominant performance as he continues to evolve and get better every time out.

These are the UFC 218 Talking Points

Holloway continues to be champ in and outside Octagon

Jose Aldo looked good against Max Holloway. He was landing punches and even worked in some leg kicks this time around. But his best was no match for Holloway, who patiently waited for Aldo to expend his energy before turning up the pace in the third and decisive round.

But it was something Holloway said after the fight that may have made the biggest impression. He had just finished beating Aldo convincingly for the second time in six months and he was quick to offer praise and appreciation for the Brazilian legend.

“He’s the greatest of all time,” Holloway said. “He’s got what, seven or eight title defenses? I got to catch up. … I think Brazil should be building statues of that guy in the favelas. He’s a legend. He’s a goat.”

That’s champ life, respect.

Frightening power of Ngannou next for champ

There was a collective hesitation to fully believe the hype surrounding Francis Ngannou heading into the toughest test of his career against Alistair Overeem.

But after the huge upper cut landed, the entire world and more importantly the heavyweight division has been put on notice.

White confirmed that Ngannou will be next for UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and that’s shaping up to be one of the biggest clashes in the history of the division.

Ngannou believes he’s ready.

“It is one punch. Not just to Overeem, not just to Stipe [Miocic], I will do that to everyone. I am on my way to completing my dream,” Ngannou said. “I always dreamed of being a world champion.

“Tell Stipe that I am coming. I am on my way to collect my belt. I thank him for keeping it for me but that time is over. That is my belt.”

Alvarez claims title of UFC’s most violent man

Alvarez vs. Gaethje has had fight fans swooning for months as the two coached opposite another on The Ultimate Fighter. The buzz was so deafening it was going to be hard for the fight to live up to the expectations.

But both Alvarez and Gaethje delivered on their promise to come forward and bang for every moment of the fight. Alvarez was like a Tasmanian Devil the way he was mixing up his punches and attacking the body. He ended up basically on one leg after countless Gaethje leg kicks but just needed on of them to land the finishing knee.

Alvarez gave respect to Gaethje after the fight, saying it takes two to tango. The two certainly left everything in the Octaon.

“Titles are great but, at the end of the day, the thing everyone cares about is who the most violent fighter is and that’s what this fight was tonight,” Alvarez said. “If you’re not ready for Justin Gaethje, he’ll put you on your butt every time so I used the body shots to hurt him and control the pace. Every single day, I’m in the gym with my coaches. I try to be ready for anything.”

Matt Parrino is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MattParrino

NGANNOU vs OVEREEM

Stipe Miocic in the UFC 218 co-main event Saturday at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, as the Cameroon native scored a spectacular first-round knockout over No. 1-ranked contender Alistair Overeem.  

“I think I’ve got it,” the 31-year-old wrecking machine said with a smile. “I’m ready for that.”

He sure looked like it.

A confident Overeem fired a wild left hook at Ngannou to begin the fight, and while he missed, he was able to close the distance and lock up with his foe. Ngannou handled the pressure well and a stall in the action produced a restart from referee Dan Miragliotta. That break was all Ngannou needed, as he fired off a left of his own that knocked Overeem out instantly. The official time of Miragliotta’s stoppage was 1:42.

The No. 4-ranked Ngannou ups his record to 11-1. Overeem falls to 43-16 with 1 NC.

CEJUDO vs PETTIS

Wilson Reis, Cejudo went back to his wrestling in round one, as he took Pettis down and kept him there for much of the first five minutes.

Pettis had success with his striking in the first minute of round two, but when he tripped to the mat, Cejudo capitalized and went back to his ground attack. In the final minute, Pettis got loose and rose to his feet but didn’t have enough time to mount the comeback he needed.

A minute into the final round, Cejudo put the fight on the mat once more, and he kept him there until there were 90 seconds left in the bout. It was time for one last charge from Pettis, but he wasn’t able to put it together, allowing Cejudo to leave Detroit with the victory via identical scores of 30-27.

The No. 2-ranked Cejudo moves to 12-2 with the win. The No. 4-ranked Pettis falls to 16-3.

RELATED: UFC 218 Prelim Results | Paul Felder Octagon Interview | Yancy Medeiros Octagon Interview

ALVAREZ vs GAETHJE