Ronda Rousey Makes September Cover of Maxim Magazine, Poses Topless

UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, the cover athlete of ESPN The Magazine's 2012 Body Issue, has once again posed for some risque photos that will appear in a major publication. 

"Rowdy" graces the cover of the September issue of Maxim wearing a bikini and even less in some topless shots from the pictorial. 

The photos come courtesy of Stephan Wurth for Maxim, with Cage Potato providing scans of some of the most enticing poses from the poster girl of women's MMA. 

After a 6-0 run inside the Strikeforce cage, Rousey made her UFC debut at UFC 157 in February, defeating a game challenger in Liz Carmouche with her signature armbar. 

The former Olympic-level Judoka, who captured a bronze medal in 2008, recently wrapped up filming for season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter, coaching opposite rival Miesha Tate in the first season to feature both male and female competitors. 

Tate and Rousey first squared off in March of last year, with Rousey surviving an early barrage before eventually forcing "Cupcake" to tap to a gruesome armbar that dislocated her elbow.

Rousey captured the Strikeforce women's bantamweight championship with the victory.

Coincidentally, Tate posed in the 2013 edition of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue, which hit shelves earlier this month. 

Tate fought Cat Zingano in a title eliminator bout at the TUF Season 17 Finale in April, controlling the first two rounds before getting TKO'ed by a surging Zingano in Round 3. However, according to MMA Fighting, Tate was less than thrilled with the stoppage. 

Fate would work in Tate's favor, though, as Zingano suffered a knee injury, per Yahoo! Sports, shortly before TUF 18 filming began, so Tate was more than happy to fill the void. 

Rousey vs. Tate II serves as the co-main event of UFC 168, which takes place on December 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.