Ronda Rousey gave one of her most dedicated fans quite the treat when she spent some time over the weekend specially drawing a customized tattoo that included her autographed initials on the fan’s ankle.
Carey Fusco, who is a huge Rousey fan and calls the fighter one of her inspirations, tells Larry Brown Sports she ran into the UFC champ at the Tuff-N-Uff event in Mesquite, Ariz., over the weekend and told her she was interested in getting the fighter’s autographed initials tattooed on her ankle.
“[Rousey] was like ‘Really? That’s cool!’ and then said ‘let’s do it,’ ” Fusco recalled to Larry Brown Sports in an email.
Fusco then rolled up her pants, pushed down her socks, and let Rousey draw her initials on her ankle. Fusco says Rousey was very sweet and careful while taking her time on the design to make it perfect.
Fusco has been a Rousey fan for a few years and knew the fighter was destined for stardom long before she exploded in popularity. Fusco tells LBS she first saw Rousey fight at a Tuff-N-Uff event in 2010 and that Rousey stood out to her immediately. Fusco took a picture with Rousey that day — surprising Rousey with the request — and got to see her fight at Tuff-N-Uff one more time before the armbar master went pro.
A year later, she saw Rousey at the 2011 World MMA Awards in Las Vegas, by which time the fighter had become well known. She says Rousey told her, “Hey, I remember you from Tuff-n-Uff!” which instantly made Fusco a fan for life.
She ran into Rousey at the next awards show and says Rousey remembered her again and they took a picture. So when Fusco saw Rousey at the latest Tuff-N-Uff event, she decided to ask the superstar for the autograph so she could get it tattooed.
“The way I look at it, I have a custom tattoo designed by Ronda Rousey, somebody who has changed the face of MMA forever. I was a fan before she blew up, and watched her career transform and grow. Such an inspiration,” says Fusco.
We have seen some dedicated fans go all-out with tattoos of their favorite athlete or sports team, but not many of them can say their favorite athlete specially designed and signed their work. Carey Fusco can make that claim.
Photo credit: Carey Fusco
