She made it to her first Olympics in Athens, but didn't medal. In 2008, she went to Beijing and won a bronze in judo
But afterward, she had no job to fall back on: "There’s nothing put in place for Olympians after they're done. They give you a couple grand, a handshake and they kick your ass out the door."
Source: MTV
She took a graveyard shift at a 24 Hour Fitness in California while trying to figure out what she wanted to do
Source: MixedMartialArts.com
In 2010, she returned to fighting at an MMA gym in Los Angeles. She said, "I need to win and I need to do this quick because I'm tired of living with the cockroaches and eating frozen vegetables."
Source: MixedMartialArts.com
In just seven months, she went from an out-of-work ex-Olympian to a professional MMA fighter, winning her first fight in 25 seconds
In her fifth career fight, she won the Strikeforce bantamweight title and became the sport's most recognizable name for her borderline offensive trash-talking
She once said about her next opponent: "If I get her in an armbar, I'm gonna try to rip it off and throw it at her corner."
Source: SI
She also trashed talked Michael Phelps and Kim Kardashian, saying Kim was only famous for her sex tape
Source: Zap2It
But despite the newfound fame, women's MMA still didn't make her a lot of money. She told SI about her financial situation, "I couldn't retire, but I'd be chilling for a while."
Source: SI
The UFC scooped her up immediately, making her the first female fighter ever. CEO Dana White, who previously vowed to never employ a female fighter, said, "I think she's going to be a big superstar."
Source: SI