Top 5 Stories of the Week

Ronda Rousey is branching out into action films. | Photo: Sherdog.com

Ronda Rousey has suddenly become a hot commodity in Hollywood.

According to a report in Variety, the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight titleholder is currently in negotiations to join the cast of the seventh installment of the popular “Fast & Furious” series. The film, which will be directed by James Wan, is expected to begin shooting in the fall and will include familiar faces such as Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “Fast & Furious 6” grossed more than $740 million worldwide and featured former Strikeforce talent Gina Carano.

“Fast & Furious 7” is the second film to seek Rousey’s services in the past few weeks; last month, Sylvester Stallone announced the Olympic judoka would have a role in “The Expendables 3.” The 26-year-old Rousey in February signed a representation deal with global talent agency William Morris Endeavor.

According to Variety, Rousey will be finished shooting both films in time to begin training camp for her rematch with Miesha Tate at UFC 168 in December. “Rowdy” will coach opposite Tate on “The Ultimate Fighter 18,” which premieres on Sept. 4 on Fox Sports 1. Rousey has finished all seven of her professional opponents via armbar, most recently submitting Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February.

The stories of interest on Sherdog.com this week:

Top 5 Stories of the Week

Fast, Furious and Expendable

Could Shoulder

Level Playing Field

Matter of Rank

Under the Radar