Ronda Rousey’s Old Boss Discusses Hiring Her as a Bartender

MMAjunkie recently interviewed Redwood Bar and Grill owner Christian Frizzell. Frizzell is the former boss of current UFC women’s bantamweight champion and international superstar Ronda Rousey, and he hired her for her bartending job after Rousey earned a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Olympic Games. Rousey had trouble getting a job, and Frizzell hired her. Below are some highlights of Frizzell reflecting on Rousey’s time there and her work as a bartender. There is a video of the interview at the above link.

Frizzell on how he met and hired Rousey: “Ronda had thrown out the first pitch and she happened to be sat in front of us. We got talking and I found out that she wasn’t having an easy time finding work. She had been a bartender before and I hired her on the spot.”

Frizzell on how Rousey was as a bartender: “Ronda was kind of having a hard time. She worked here, and a few other places and was really finding it hard to make ends meet. When she came her bar-tending skills were not very good but like with everything else she does, she honed in. What you see is what you get. It is intense. The older women responded and took her under their wing and within a few weeks she was as good as anyone else.”

Frizzell on how he encouraged Rousey to fight in MMA: “I remember there being an (MMA) fight on (television), one of the first ones with women, and her saying she could do that. I encouraged her to do it and thought she could go as far as she wanted to. When she fights, everyone here is right behind her. We know what kind of person she is and how hard she has had to work to be successful.”