Ronda Rousey has signed with premiere Hollywood talent agency William Morris Endeavor; only a week after making history winning the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first ever women’s fight. Already en route to becoming a national sensation, this could further increase Rousey’s popularity and public exposure.

In fact, rumors have been circulating this week that Rousey was offered a role in a Hunger Games sequel. However, Ronda Rousey wouldn’t be the first lady of MMA to make the crossover to the big screen. Many of you fight fans already know about Gina Carano, the first women’s martial artist to make a successful transition into Hollywood. Carano starred in the blockbuster Haywire, and can next be seen starring alongside Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) in the upcoming Fast and Furious sequel.

So, will Rousey jump ship and cash in on the fame and fortune promised by Hollywood?

Ronda’s manager, Darvin Harvey, has already addressed this matter on Ronda’s behalf:

“If a film opportunity comes along, we’re not going to say no if it’s the right opportunity,” Harvey told The Bleacher Report. “Every big producer in Hollywood has taken interest in Ronda.”

However, Harvey insists that Ronda is committed first and foremost to her fight career:

“Our primary goal is to focus on fighting, that’s what’s got her here. She’s a fighter, she has a lot to prove, so she’s going to be fighting. There’s been a lot of interest in Ronda, but her primary goal is training and fighting.”

Ronda just recently signed with the UFC after the addition of their new women’s bantamweight division. The organization has been marketing the living daylights out of her to promote their brand. It wouldn’t make much sense for her to crossover into acting when there is still so much to prove in the sport, not mention the influx of competition she has yet to defeat. Dana White, President of the UFC, recently expressed his opinion on fighters-turned-actors on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight:

“You know how I feel about the movie stuff. When Rampage did the movie, it was his dream to be a part of the A-Team. I don’t want to take away any opportunities from Ronda, but at the same time, her window of opportunity as a professional athlete is really narrow. She could make a zillion movies when she retires. Where she’s really going to get the money is here fighting. I don’t care if she’s the lead role in ‘The Hunger Games 2,’ she would not make anywhere near – I mean, not even in the universe – to the money she makes fighting.”

Dana makes an excellent point. A professional fighter has a very short shelf-life, and can only fight at a highly competitive level for so long (“insert Chuck Liddell reference here”). Acting, on the other hand, will always be a legitimate option after her fight career is over. As the new face of the UFC women’s division, Ronda has a bright future ahead of her; a highly lucrative future with much historical significance to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

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