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Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir join WWE, start training for debut

MMA’s “Four Horsewomen” have arrived in the WWE.

One month after former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her highly anticipated debut in the industry-leading pro wrestling organization, her longtime teammates Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir have also signed on.

The WWE announced today that Duke and Shafir have reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., to begin training for their debut, joining Rousey and previous WWE signee Shayna Baszler in the ring.

Rousey, Baszler, Duke and Shafir trained together for several years in MMA, with Baszler and Duke serving on Rousey’s team during “The Ultimate Fighter 18.” After the show, the team called themselves “The Four Horsewomen” as an homage to the pro wrestling stable that most famously featured Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard. The women’s MMA veterans showed up regularly to pro wrestling events; Shafir later became engaged to WWE wrestler Roderick Strong.

In MMA, “The Four Horsewomen” held a rivalry with Bethe Correia, who defeated Duke and Baszler in the octagon before Rousey knocked her out in 2015. Baszler, meanwhile, took a serious turn toward pro wrestling, and the team was there ringside for her matches, including a trip to the finals in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, where they played up a rivalry with members of the WWE’s Four Horsewomen.

After more than one year on the competitive sidelines, Rousey signed with the WWE for begin a full-time wrestling career, making her debut in April at WrestleMania 34 to rave reviews. The same month, Baszler captured the women’s title in the WWE spinoff NXT.

Shafir’s last MMA appearance was under the Invicta FC banner, where she suffered her second consecutive knockout loss in July 2015. One year later, Duke made her last appearance when she was submitted in the first round by Cindy Dandois, marking her fifth straight loss.

For more on the upcoming MMA schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

 

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