Meet the Olympic Boxer Preparing Ronda Rousey for Her UFC Comeback

Ex-model Mikaela Mayer is an actual knockout.

After Ronda Rousey’s first ever UFC loss to Holly Holm last November, it was obvious that the former judo champ had a big hole in her skill set—boxing. Holm, a former pro boxer, might have knocked Rousey out with her foot, but she dazed Rousey early in the fight with monster left that Ronda said left her seeing stars.

Rousey will try to avoid the same fate at UFC 207 when she returns to the cage against Amanda Nunes. So she’s found a new training partner. Olympian Mikaela Mayer posted a pic with Rousey over the weekend after they took part in a sparring session.

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Mayer fell one win short of fighting for a medal in Rio, which is a hell of an accomplishment for a woman who came to boxing as a 17-year-old party animal. 

A California native, Mayer was an occasional model who got bad grades and liked to get wild when she took up kickboxing on whim. In 2010, she dedicated herself to boxing full-time and in Rio she was one of only two women to represent the red, white and blue in boxing.

Now she’s got the biggest challenge of her career—teaching Ronda Rousey how to box.

Clearly that’s a tall order, but we’ll be rooting for her. 

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An oldie but a goodie. #tbt @oxygenmagazine #boxing #fitness #blondeisbetter 💯 📷@stewartvolland

A photo posted by MIKAELA MAYER (@mikaelamayer) on

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