Following a week filled with rumors about a deal, UFC president Dana White said on Friday that the league had signed Strikeforce female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey to a contract.
The move is significant as it marks the first time UFC has signed a contract with a female fighter. White spoke about the move on Friday, saying to Jim Rome on the radio that "Rousey did sign with the UFC," according to ESPN.com.
"She's a real fighter and she's very talented," the UFC president said of the 25-year-old Californian while speaking with Rome. "She has the credentials, the pedigree, I mean everything. I think she has that 'it' factor. I think she's going to be a big superstar. This girl is nasty."
TMZ first reported the story on Nov. 8, but the following day Rousey played coy when asked about the deal.
"Seems totally cool," Rousey said to ESPN.com at the time. "I would like it to be that way. I haven't signed any bout agreements. I don't know exactly what's going on yet. I know just as much as everybody else knows right now."
On Twitter, Rousey wrote about the contract and her excitement for starting her UFC career.
"Okay I admit it...I'm officially a @ufc fighter," Rousey tweeted Friday. "SO excited! Can't wait to debut! Let @danawhite know who you want my 1st opponent to be!"
Rousey has fought a number of fights on Showtime and is the current Strikeforce champion. She defeated Miesha Tate in March by armbar submission in the first round to win the title. She was also became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo after winning a bronze medal in the Beijing games.
In her career, Rousey has won a gold medal at the Pan American Games, a silver in the World Championships as well as two gold medals at the Pan American Judo Championships. She was also the youngest judo competitor at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
According to ESPN.com, Rousey will lead a class of about eight women that will move from Strikeforce to the UFC next year.
Rousey is ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter by MMARising.com and is 6-0 in her MMA career.
The news comes during the same week that top-ranked fighter Anderson Silva announced that he was taking an extended break form the sport.
"I'm on vacation from fighting," Silva told Brazil-based web site Tatame, according to ESPN.com. "I (will) just come back at the end of next year."
President Dana White had hoped to organize a fight between Silva and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, but that will on hold for now.
No dates have been set for any of Rousey's future fights.
