AnnMaria DeMars, the mother of ex-UFC champion Ronda Rousey, was
recently appointed to the California State Athletic Commission.
The move was
announced by the office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom on
Thursday. She will serve as a commissioner on the six-person CSAC
team and will have a say in the regulation of combat sports in the
state. DeMars needs approval from the California state senate to
make her position official, but that is expected to be a formality.
The full statement regarding De Mars is as follows:
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AnnMaria DeMars, 63, of Santa Monica, has been appointed to the
State Athletic Commission. DeMars has been President at the Julia
Group since 2008 and at 7 Generation Games since 2013. DeMars was
Partner at Spirit Lake Consulting from 2002 to 2008. DeMars is a
member of the American Statistical Association, National Indian
Education Association, Judo Black Belt Association and United
States Judo Association. She earned a Master of Business
Administration degree from the University of Minnesota and Doctor
of Philosophy and Master of Arts degrees in educational psychology
from the University of California, Riverside. This position
requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem.
DeMars is a Democrat.
In 1984, DeMars became the first American to win gold at the World
Judo Championships while competing at 56 kilograms (123 pounds).
Rousey referenced her mother as a key factor in her rise to
prominence as a combat sports athlete, and repeatedly mentioned how
she would awaken to armbars from her mother. DeMars was also quite
outspoken in her criticism of Rousey’s trainer Edmund Tarverdyan,
calling him a “terrible coach.”
Rousey, meanwhile, hasn’t competed in MMA since December 2016, when
she suffered her second consecutive defeat, a 48-second TKO loss at
the hands of Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. She later signed with World
Wrestling Entertainment before taking a hiatus to start a family
with ex-UFC heavyweight Travis Browne. She returned to WWE this
year.