UFC Champ Ronda Rousey May Join Jennifer Lawrence in 'Hunger Games' Sequel

Could mixed martial arts fans be seeing Ronda Rousey on the silver screen soon?

That seems to be possible, as the face of women's MMA has reportedly been offered a role on the sequel to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

 If you haven't heard of Catching Fire, it's only the highly-anticipated sequel to 2012's record-breaking $686 million blockbuster The Hunger Games.

According to Tuesday's edition of Wrestling Observer Radio (via Bloody Elbow), industry expert Dave Meltzer noted that Rousey may be bound for Hollywood, building off the success of her superstar Strikeforce career and UFC 157 debut:

"

... There was a very good chance that the promotion of Rousey was TOO successful because she's been offered a role in the next...whatever it is...the next Hunger Games movie that they're going to film.

And once that happens it's like...you know, who knows? She's making a lot of money fighting, I don't know what those numbers are going to be when they come out when they're released. But she's making a ton of money.

"

With Rousey having cemented herself as a major superstar, it wouldn't be surprising to see the UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion branching into film roles.

That's what happened with former Strikeforce fighter Gina Carano after she retired from MMA, with her own film career getting a solid start in Steven Soderbergh's 2011 action-thriller Haywire.

Moreover, Rousey is a well-known public figure that would draw attention for any sort of cameo or supporting role in the Hunger Games' next film franchise installment, which would assuredly be The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1.

(Author's Note: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is currently in the middle of re-shoots for the final nine days of filming, according to UK publication The Daily Mail.)

Not only is Rousey a UFC champion, Strikeforce champion, Olympic bronze medalist and multiple-time international judo champion, but she's also a "Maxim Hot 100" entrant and 2012 ESPN Body Issue (NSFW) cover athlete.

That kind of exposure makes Rousey a very hot commodity in various markets both inside and outside the MMA community. With her star shining even brighter due to her exciting UFC debut title fight victory against top-contender Liz Carmouche, it's fair to say that Rousey's fame is still growing by leaps and bounds.

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McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.