Is there anything Ronda Rousey can’t do?
On Saturday, the UFC champ became the first woman to appear in Men’s Fitness Australia. On Monday, ESPN announced that Rousey will co-host an evening edition of SportsCenter with Lindsay Czarniak. ESPN has done this a few times with comedians, most notably Ken Jeong and Will Ferrell. But this is the first time they’ve done it with a female athlete.
“I’m excited to co-host SportsCenter with Lindsay on Wednesday,” said Rousey. “I’ve always appreciated the support ESPN has shown me and I’m honored to be the first female celebrity co-host!”
The UFC is pushing Rousey hard in the next few weeks ahead of her UFC 193 bout with Holly Holm. According to ESPN, Rousey is set to appear on several of the network’s flagship shows including First Take, Mike and Mike and the midnight SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. It’s a Rousey bonanza at the four-letter network. It’s also a little odd given ESPN’s coverage (or lack thereof) of the UFC.
Perhaps they just needed an athlete popular enough to push to mainstream fans. Or maybe, just maybe Rousey is well-liked regardless of the sport she participates in. Yeah, that actually makes a lot more sense.
