'Secret's out': Rousey poses nude

Ronda Rousey will pose nude in this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Photo / Twitter.

The speculation that almost caused the internet to meltdown is true: Ronda Rousey will pose nude in this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

The guessing game began two days ago when an editor from Sports Illustrated posted the following photograph on Instagram.

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Was that Ronda Rousey's body-painted bottom? Some simple sleuth work seemed to give away the secret. The tattoo on the model's right wrist matched one on Rousey's.

Now Rousey has confirmed the news herself, letting her 7.3 million Instagram followers know she was photographed in nothing but body paint for the issue, which is scheduled for release next month.

"Secret's out," Rousey wrote. "So here's a free preview of this year's 2016 SI swimsuit issue ... I was one of the lucky few chosen to be a canvas for a hand painted masterpiece by Joanne Gair that took 14 hours to put on and photographed by the brilliant Frederic Pinet. These are just behind the scenes shots taken with a phone's camera, can't wait to show you guys the final pics when the issue hits stands!"
Joanne "Kiwi Jo" Gair is an Auckland-born and raised make-up artist and body painter whose body paintings have been featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue from 1999 to the most recent edition.

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It's the second year in a row Rousey has featured in the swimsuit edition. But last year she was wearing a bikini, so expect this issue to sell even better.

The body paint on Rousey's torso was inspired by a swimsuit designed by Australian label We Are Handsome named "The Fighter".