13. Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is perhaps most well known for shedding some light on female mixed martial arts and bringing it to households across America. Few people know that he is also a UFC fighter and judo champion, with career successes including an Olympics bronze medal at the age of 21. Olympics over, she decided to focus her energy on how to bring the UFC to a mainstream audience, and she would later go on to win the first championships hosted by the league in 2013.
Ronda Rousey
Capitalising on her fifteen minutes of fame and turning them into a lasting legacy, Ronda landed a role in animated hits like ‘The Expendables 3’, as well as in the billion dollar earning ‘Furious 7’. She also had some minor cameos in TV shows, which boosted her profile, and also showcased her chops as an actor.
14. Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee’s name is synonymous with martial arts, and he is perhaps the most well-known name in the field. Born in the year of the dragon, he had some roles as a child actor back in Hong Kong, but his big break would only come from moving to the States at 18 and starting to teach martial arts.
Bruce Lee
Lee’s filmography includes five very popular martial arts films, including 1973’s iconic ‘Enter The Dragon’. As an influencer in the field, he is also widely acclaimed for his work in changing the perspective of how Asian-Americans are traditionally seen in film. These days, the stereotypes are far less heavy than they used to be, and Bruce Lee is widely credited with this.
