Could Ronda Rousey Appear In Both UFC And WWE Games?

While the real life Ronda Rousey is switching professions from fights in the UFC to bouts in the WWE, her video game counterpart isn't quite ready to make a transition. And if that time does come, there's the potential that Rousey might actually appear in a UFC and WWE game in the same year.

Folks who tuned into the 2018 WWE Royal Rumble last night were treated to a (not quite) surprise appearance by none other than the former UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey. This was the launching point of Rousey's career in the WWE, as she signed an exclusive contract to compete for the sports performance promotion. This, of course, brings an end to Rousey's career in the UFC; at least for the time being.

For video game fans that brings up an interesting opportunity, as the transition means Rousey might appear in both UFC 3 and WWE 2K18. Rousey's timing was probably a little rough for UFC fans, as she's already a playable character in UFC 3, which launches this Friday, Feb. 2, for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. According to a report from Gameinformer, though, that doesn't mean that Rousey won't also appear in WWE 2K18, which is still rolling out DLC characters regularly. And while the easiest thing to do might be to save Rousey as a draw for the next WWE game, it also makes sense to strike while the iron is hot and bring her into the current game as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, game contracts and all of that jibba-jabba are tricky to weed through, especially when you're talking about a big-name get like Rousey and two major promotions like the WWE and UFC, as well as two game companies like EA and 2K Games. We figure this whole thing could go one of several ways. The first is that Rousey stays in UFC 3 as planned and, whenever that contract is up, she's free to appear in WWE games.

Another option is that Rousey is removed from UFC 3 via patch and then dropped into the current WWE game in the same fashion.

Finally, they everybody might just play nice and leave Rousey in UFC 3 while also patching her into WWE 2K18. In other words, she might be a playable character in both games at the same time. We figure that would be the best route but, again, we're talking about contracts and red tape galore, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens next.

Rousey appeared on the cover of UFC 2 a couple years back but, since then, her standings in the UFC have fallen following a couple of big losses. If she's just not feeling able to compete in the UFC anymore, we can't really blame her for making the transition. Several other athletes have jumped back and forth a couple of times so, again, we'll just have to wait and see what the future holds for Rousey.

If nothing else, and regardless of what happens in the games, we figure this is huge news for fans of the WWE.