Ronda Rousey the most popular female athlete on social media, overtaking Maria Sharapova

Rousey suffered the first defeat of her UFC career at the weekend

Ronda Rousey holds her lip after her defeat by Holly Holm (Getty Images)

Ronda Rousey may have suffered her first UFC defeat of the weekend, after she was knocked out by Holly Holm to lose her UFC bantamweight title, but it's not all bad for Rousey, she has now overtaken Maria Sharapova as officially the most popular female athlete on social media.

The American Rousey, 27, now has 18,158,531 fans, which is now above tennis star Sharapova who previously held the top position (18,074,264)

Rousey's fans come from:

- Ronda Rousey 18,158,531

- Maria Sharapova: 18,074,264

- Serena Williams: 12,129,030

- Alex Morgan: 7,296,164

- Jessica Ennis-Hill: 3,022,167

Rousey has promised to return to the Octagon after suffering the first defeat of her UFC career in a devastating finish by Holm, but not before she takes a break from the sport.

Undefeated Rousey went into the bout a heavy favourite with the bookmakers’ after winning all 12 of her previous fights. However, Holm stunned the world with a brutal kick that knocked out Rousey after displaying the perfect game plan to out-box the 28-year-old American.

Rousey was taken to hospital after the fight where she was seen by a plastic surgeon regarding the horrific facial injuries she suffered, but after staying overnight it was confirmed that she had not suffered a concussion or any other serious injuries other than a nasty gash to her lip.

Speaking on Monday after losing her bantamweight title during the UFC 193 clash in Melbourne, Rousey said on Instagram: “I just wanted to thank everyone for the love and support. I appreciate the concerns about my health, but I'm fine. As I had mentioned before, I'm going to take a little bit of time, but I'll be back.”