People still talk about it. Usually, when an athlete does a magazine shoot, it’s a one-week news cycle and then everyone moves on to the next trade rumor or highlight reel. But the Ronda Rousey Sports Illustrated era was different. It wasn’t just about a fighter in a swimsuit; it was a massive cultural collision that happened right when she was at the peak of her "Unbreakable" powers.
Honestly, looking back from 2026, it’s wild to think how much that 2016 cover changed the conversation around what an "athletic" body is supposed to look like.
The Body Paint That Took 14 Hours
Let’s get into the details everyone actually cares about. The 2016 cover wasn’t a standard bikini. It was body paint. And not just a quick spray-on job, either.
Ronda Rousey spent 14 hours being used as a human canvas by artist Joanne Gair. Think about that for a second. Fourteen hours of standing, sitting, and leaning while three people meticulously apply layers of paint to your bare skin. Rousey later mentioned in interviews that by the end of it, they were all "real, real friendly."
It wasn't exactly a vacation. She flew overnight from the West Coast to the Caribbean, landed, and went straight into the "makeup chair"—which was basically just her standing in a room while artists worked on her. She actually fell asleep at one point while standing up. Because the paint was so thick—seven layers in some spots—she said it actually felt like she was wearing fabric.
The most awkward part? The "precision" work. Rousey told Ellen DeGeneres that there’s no way to make someone painting your "delicate areas" not weird. You just have to lean into the absurdity of it.
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Why the 2016 Cover Was Historic
- The Triple Threat: It was the first time SI released three separate covers for the Swimsuit Issue. Ronda shared the spotlight with Ashley Graham and Hailey Clauson.
- The Athlete Pivot: While SI had featured athletes before (like Serena Williams), Rousey was the first MMA fighter to land the cover.
- The Body Image Statement: Rousey was very vocal about her "D.N.B." (Do Nothing Bitch) philosophy, and this shoot was her way of proving that muscle and "bulk" were just as feminine as the traditional model look.
It Wasn't Just One Shoot
A lot of people forget that Ronda Rousey Sports Illustrated appearances actually happened twice.
Her debut was in the 2015 issue. That one was shot by the legendary Walter Iooss Jr. on Captiva Island, Florida. She wore actual swimsuits for that one. It was a big deal at the time because she was the reigning, undefeated UFC bantamweight champion. She looked like a superhero.
Then came the May 2015 "Unbreakable" cover for the regular weekly magazine. That wasn't the swimsuit issue; it was a profile on her dominance in the Octagon. It’s arguably one of the most iconic sports covers of the decade. She’s staring directly into the camera, hands wrapped, looking like she’s about to dismantle whoever is holding the magazine.
The Timing Was... Complicated
There is a bit of a "SI Curse" narrative that fans love to bring up. The 2016 Swimsuit Issue came out in February. Just a few months prior, in November 2015, Ronda had suffered that shocking head-kick knockout loss to Holly Holm in Australia.
By the time the magazine hit newsstands, the "invincible" aura was gone.
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She was in a dark place mentally. She’s been open about how hard that loss hit her, even admitting she had suicidal thoughts in the immediate aftermath. Seeing herself on every newsstand as this "goddess" of sports while she was privately reeling from her first professional loss created a strange dichotomy.
Some fans criticized her for "focusing too much on Hollywood" or modeling, but that’s a bit of a reach. The SI shoot happened before the Holm fight. You can't blame a 14-hour paint session in October for a head-kick in November.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think these shoots are all about vanity. For Rousey, it was tactical.
She knew her window in MMA was small. She was building a brand that could survive after the Octagon. The Sports Illustrated features were the bridge to her roles in The Expendables 3, Furious 7, and eventually her run in the WWE.
She also used the platform to talk about things that weren't "sporty." She talked about her struggle with body dysmorphia. She talked about how she used to hate her "manly" arms until she realized they were the tools that made her a millionaire. That kind of honesty was rare for a top-tier athlete in 2016.
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The Technical "Magic"
If you look closely at the 2016 photos, you can see the texture. It’s not just flat paint. Joanne Gair used:
- Rhinestones glued directly to the skin.
- Gold leaf accents.
- Multiple shades to create the illusion of shadows and fabric folds.
When Rousey finally went to wash it off, the first "suit" (the tiger-print one) came off in 20 minutes because she’d been rolling in the sand. The second, more intricate one? That took over an hour of scrubbing to remove.
The Long-Term Impact
Rousey hasn't fought in the UFC for years, but you still see her influence in every SI Swimsuit Issue. Now, it’s normal to see Olympic gymnasts, WNBA stars, and track athletes on those pages.
She broke the "cookie-cutter" mold.
She proved that you can be "fierce" and "pretty" at the same exact time without sacrificing your credibility as a killer in the cage. It sounds like a cliché now, but in 2015, it was a legitimate revolution.
If you’re looking to understand the Rousey phenomenon, don't just watch her 14-second armbars. Look at those SI issues. They represent the moment when women's MMA went from a "sideshow" to the main event of global culture.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to see the evolution of this movement, check out the SI Swimsuit archives for 2015 and 2016. You can clearly see the shift in how the photographers framed her—from "athlete in a suit" in 2015 to "artistic icon" in 2016. Also, if you’re interested in the "why" behind the photos, her memoir My Fight / Your Fight dives deep into her mindset during those chaotic years of peak fame.