Ronda Rousey to headline ABC's reboot of 'Battle of the Network Stars'

The former UFC champion will serve as a captain during the 10-week summer series

Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey is ready to return to competition. It just won't take place inside of an octagon. 

Rousey, fresh off of a pair of knockout defeats in the UFC, has agreed to take part as a permanent team captain alongside former NFL lineman DeMarcus Ware in ABC's upcoming reboot of "Battle of the Network Stars."

The 10-episode summer series, which debuts on Thursday, June 29 (9-10 p.m. ET), is a nostalgic remake of the popular 1970s and 80s show which ran for 13 years on ABC Sports beginning in 1976. The show will be hosted by ESPN talents Mike Greenberg and Joe Tessitore, along with sideline reporters Cari Champion and Cassidy Hubbarth. 

Rousey and Ware will captain rotating teams of current and classic TV stars from multiple eras in a variety of athletic games, including tug of war, archery, kayak relay and obstacle course. One change will see ABC going away from the network vs. network format of old, instead fielding teams based upon the characters they played on television, including cops vs. TV sitcoms, White House vs. lawyers, etc. 

The show's roster will feature 100 TV stars from 14 different network and cable companies and will be announced at a later date. The series will be shot on location beginning this week at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. 

Rousey (12-2) suffered a stunning upset loss of her UFC bantamweight title in 2015 against Holly Holm in Australia. After taking more than a year off, she returned in December 2016 and was knocked out in 48 seconds by new champion Amanda Nunes. 

It remains uncertain whether Rousey, 30, will ever fight again. She publicly announced her engagement in April to her boyfriend, UFC heavyweight Travis Browne.