Ronda Rousey Stuns in Bold Bodypaint on the Shores of Petit St. Vincent

The two-time SI Swimsuit model landed on cover of the 2016 issue.

Ronda Rousey was photographed by Frederic Pinet in Petit St. Vincent. / Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

When Ronda Rousey first received the call from SI Swimsuit inviting her to pose for the iconic magazine, saying yes was a no-brainer. What she didn’t expect was just how empowering and exhilarating the experience would be—and that it would lead to her being asked back for another feature. The 37-year-old made her debut with the franchise in 2015, posing on the beaches of Captiva, Fla., for photographer Walter Iooss Jr.

Her return to the magazine in 2016 was even more memorable, as she landed the cover after wowing fans with a daring bodypaint feature captured by Frederic Pinet in Exuma, Bahamas. Rousey double-dipped for two bodypaint features that year, also traveling to Petit St. Vincent with the team.

For the cover, artist Joanne Gair created the most intricate monochrome tiger face print, inspired by a low-back one-piece from swimwear brand We Are Handsome, on Rousey’s body.

“I was surprised about how good it looked. I was surprised it actually looked like I fit with that company, you know. I’m not a full model like those other girls. Mostly I was surprised that I could hang. That’s what I thought when I saw it,” Rousey shared about her own reaction to her cover. “When they approached me with the idea of doing body paint with Joanne Gair, I mean, she’s a legend of her industry, and it was really a huge privilege and opportunity to work with her. I was really excited to be a canvas for her. I was really looking forward to seeing what ideas they came up with.”

The professional wrestler and UFC star added that the whole process took 14 hours, and everyone was “real friendly” by the end of it.

“I kept feeling like flies were landing on me. That’s what it felt like: I kept, like, twitching because it felt like little things landing on me because of the paintbrushes,” she described. “But there were three people working on me at one time. There was Joanne and her whole team. I think when I was most nervous was when they had to color in, you know, the delicate areas.”

Today, Rousey, who made history in 2008 as the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo, is a mom of one, and she’s currently expecting baby No. 2 with her husband, Travis Browne.

Below are four iconic images from her bodypaint photo shoot in Petit St. Vincent.

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated

Frederic Pinet/Sports Illustrated