Ronda Rousey To Become First Female Fighter In UFC History

May 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; UFC president Dana White (right) poses with Strikeforce MMA female champion Ronda Rousey during a bout between Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck during UFC on Fox 3 at the Izod Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE

UFC president Dana White has previously not supported women’s mixed martial arts but the brash boss appears to be changing his tune thanks to one female star. Ronda Rousey is the Strikeforce women’s champion and has often been seen around UFC events and on episodes of The Ultimate Fighter. There is no doubt that White has taken a liking to Rousey and her skill in the cage has caused him to reevaluate his stance on having women in the UFC.

White told SI.com that he is working on getting a women’s division in the UFC and fans of women’s mixed martial arts have Rousey to thank.

“It’s absolutely going to happen,” White said. As for a timeline, White added, “”could happen tomorrow, it could happen a year from now. The point is I’m committed to this.”

Fans of the sport have been clamoring to see Rousey take on the most dominant women in mixed martial arts — Cris Cyborg. A potential match between those two has enough drawing power that it could co-headline or even headline an event. But as much as we would love to see the two face-off in the octagon sooner rather than later, we will likely have to wait.

“Nothing is immenient. She’s a Strikeforce champion not a UFC fighter. We still have three fights left for Strikeforce,” said Rousey’s manager Darin Harvey.