We totally called it.
Ronda Rousey will appear in the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue—and this time, she'll be "wearing" nothing but body paint.
It's official! @RondaRousey will wear NOTHING BUT BODY PAINT for #SISwim2016. https://t.co/B08z7Ameh0pic.twitter.com/fZ6lzYvr6F
— SI Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) January 7, 2016
SI had teased the possibility of Rousey's appearance on Wednesday, as photo editor MJ Day dropped this not-so-ambiguous shot of someone's painted derriere. Their staff hemmed and hawed, playing up the "we can neither confirm or deny" schtick, but let's be real, folks: Her wrist tattoos totally gave it away.
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Rousey's return continues a new direction for SI, which has increasingly casted athletes and Olympians for its Swimsuit issue to compete with ESPN the Magazine's body issue. And for Rousey, it marks a big re-entry into the public eye after her high-profile loss to Holly Holm, along with her first-ever gig hosting Saturday Night Live on January 23.
Oh, and for the record, this isn't Ronda's first time gracing SI Swimsuit: A (then-undefeated) Rousey posed—topless, in some cases—for the Swimsuit issue in 2015 as well.
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Even better news: Kelly Rohrback, who starred in the 2015 Swimsuit issue, is taking up Pamela Anderson's role as C.J. Parker in the new Baywatch movie.
(Here's a link to the official release from Sports Illustrated.)
