Rousey staging a comeback in a new arena: Hosting Saturday Night Live
Ronda Rousey’s mainstream appeal hasn’t been weakened by her upset loss in November.
The mixed martial arts star will host NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” this week. The musical guest will be Selena Gomez.
The previously unbeaten Rousey was stunned by a second-round knockout loss to Holly Holm in Australia, losing her Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight belt. After the loss, Rousey retreated to near-seclusion, granting only one postfight interview in which she said she intends to retain trainer Edmond Tarverdyan.
Rousey, 28, has appeared in films, including sequels of “The Fast and the Furious,” and “The Expendables,” and has been on “Ellen” and late night talk shows. She’s set to star in a remake of “Road House,” in the late Patrick Swayze’s bouncer role.
She joins a heavyweight lineup of athletes who’ve hosted “SNL,” including Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, George Foreman and LeBron James, becoming the first MMA fighter to host the show.
UFC President Dana White said he will soon have his first business conversation with Rousey since her defeat.
White last month told The Times that he wants Rousey’s return fight to be a rematch against Holm on July 9 at UFC 200 at the new Las Vegas arena.
Holm, who signed a new multi-fight, multimilliondollar extension with the UFC this week, has sought to fight in the interim. Her manager, Lenny Fresquez, expressed interest in a bout against former title challenger Miesha Tate.
White originally rejected that idea, but when asked about Holm fighting before a Rousey rematch, White said, “It’s possible. We have nothing done yet” for either fighter’s next bout.
In an interview with TMZ, Rousey, who attended Sunday’s UFC event in Boston, said a rematch against Holm is still “all I want to do.”
“It’s sometime later in the year,” Rousey said. “They haven’t told me an exact date or location. It’s a decision we’re all going to make together. I’m kind of waiting to hear from them on what options they’re going to give me.”
Holm (10-0), a former world champion boxer, has since booked her first UFC title defense against Miesha Tate (17-5) at UFC 197 on March 5 in Las Vegas. Her victory against Rousey via second-round knockout stands as the biggest upset in title fight history, according to betting odds.
While Rousey appears headed for the longest break of her MMA career, she will remain in the public eye.
In addition to “Saturday Night Live” and “Road House,” it was revealed last week that Universal Pictures had purchased a project involving Rousey and Tina Fey titled “Do Nothing Bitches,” a phrase Rousey made famous in 2015.