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Bethe Correia will finish her 17-fight MMA career after her fight on December 5.
Former female bantamweight title challenger Bethe Correia is about to say goodbye to her MMA career. After eight years and 17 professional bouts, ‘Pitbull’ herself shared the news on her Instagram that her fight against Wu Yanan will be her last one.
In a lengthy post, Bethe thanked the UFC and claimed to be satisfied with where her MMA career led her. Furthermore, Correia believes she has done enough to help build women’s mixed martial arts and that it is time for the new generation of female fighters to conquer their space.
“Only a figther knows when it is time to stop and move on to other endeavors. Only a fighter and their allies know the truth and the lies spread by the media. Yes, this will be my last and it could not have been anywhere else. Only and exclusively in the UFC. Lots of lies have been told, but I was not fazed. I know my story. I’m bold, I have a strong personality, which marked my career and helped build Women’s MMA with rivalries. It’s a personality that gets people curious about me. It’s no wonder the ‘Bethe Effect’ emerged. I was loved and hated, but in the end, everyone wanted to watch my fights.”
“I broke PPV records that remained untouched for years.” Bethe continued. “I fought the best and was always on the news. I know I have left my mark. Now it’s time for the new generation to come along. I know I have left good and bad lessons. My last fight will be in the best promotion in the world, where I’ve always dreamed and strived to fight. I’ll be in the Octagon in December. I’ll enjoy every moment of it and I know I’ll miss it. I’m very grateful to the UFC, for acknowleding my career, my story, and for never denying me anything.”
In her last outing, Correia (11-5-1) dropped a unanimous decision to Pannie Kianzad, back in July. Before that, Pitbull scored a unanimous decision win over Sijara Eubanks in September 2019. Overall, the 37-year-old holds a 5-5-1 record in the Octagon, with knockout losses to two former bantamweight champions in Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm.
Wu (11-3) will look to recover from a split decision loss to Mizuki Inoue back in August 2019. The 24-year-old’s last and sole UFC victory came just before that, when she tapped out Lauren Mueller via armbar, in November 2018.
Now, Correia is expected to meet Wu at UFC Fight Night 186, on December 5, in a location yet to be determined. Although not yet confirmed, a middleweight bout between Darren Till and Jack Hermansson is targeted for the card’s main event.