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UFC championRonda Rouseyis, pound for pound, the best fighter in the worldmale or female.
The foolish ones spend the lead-up to the main event yapping about how she is beatable.
The wise pray for divine intervention (A leg cramp?
Millions of people who are put off by blood sports find themselves strangely captivated by her.
“It’s about more than just fighting,” she says.
“Even if they don’t know it, everyone has the instinct to survive,” she says.
(Her father committed suicide when she was 8; she fought and survived that loss, too.)
At one point, Rousey was so broke that she slept in her car.
“I want my name to be mentioned along with Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali,” she says.
“And I don’t want the wordwomanto be in front ofchampion.”
Comedian Chelsea Peretticonsiders herself a Rousey superfan.
“Ronda fearlessly speaks her mind,” she says.
“I can see how her physical strength is powered by mental strength.”
Peretti, 37, is known for her role onBrooklyn Nine-Nineand for her no-holds-barred sense of humor.
“We both dislike being typified by our gender,” she says.
“Plus, we’re both beautiful blondes!
Just kiddingI’m not blonde.”
The duo talked about what it means to be a strong woman in 2015.
CPWhat’s your definition of a badass?RRSomeone who’s willing to do what needs to be done.
When I was a kid, all I did was train.
It’s funny, because people get offended by the mind-set that it takes to be the best.
In your teens, you start to become super self-conscious.
I had to build that up.
CPDid you ever get in street fights as a teen?RRYes.
Santa Monica didn’t used to be so nice!
IlovedFrappuccinos, but I only got $5 a day for lunch.
If I ate, that meant I didn’t have enough money for a Frappuccino.
There were always some guys who could use the money.
CPWhat else did you learn from her?
A lot of girls aren’t brought up to fight.RRWell, my mom never forced us to do anything.
I fight, but my three sisters don’t.
My sisters were taught that, too, and they carried it through the professions they decided to pursue.
CPHow do you wind down after a fight?RRI eat about 50 hot wings.
I love hot wings.
That’s how important they are to me.
CPThose were some expensive hot wings.RRThey were really good, though.
It’s a race to see who can eat the most.
I’m so competitive, I even compete with hot wings.
CPWhat’s downtime like for you?RRI’ll wake up, eat my little chia bowl, train.
If you have crazy, crazy days, doing nothing is such a luxury.
This article originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of SELF.
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Photo Credit: Jason Kibbler
