Ronda Rousey: WWE Champion and… Pokemon Master?

Kel Dansby
Ronda in Pikachu costume
Ronda Rousey reveals herself as Pikachu for ESPN’s SportsCenter. (Image by ESPN)

Ronda Rousey has devoted a lot of time to both MMA and judo, but did you know that she’s also spent hundreds of hours becoming a Pokemon master?

Yes, “Rowdy” Ronda is as accomplished as Ash Ketchum and really did catch’em all.

In 2014, Rousey spoke with MMAFighting and described her love for the Pocket Monsters franchise in great detail. “I got the trading cards first. Then I got the video game. I got it on Gameboy Color. My first game was Pokemon Blue and my first Pokemon was a Charmander.”

Let’s take a quick second to applaud Ronda for not going the easy route by choosing a Squirtle or a Bulbasaur first. Real Pokemon masters know that you choose the fire Pokemon and put in hours to level it up before facing Brock and Misty.

“I’ve gotten every single version, every generation of the game… Just the first game I got, the cartridge, alone had 200 hours on it.”

With new games rolling out every few years and a Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! scheduled to hit stores on Nov. 16th for the Nintendo Switch, Rousey will have to find time in her busy WWE schedule to master a whole new league and bond with her little Pikachu (or Eevee) pal!

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