It’s official.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title against Bethe Correia in the main event of UFC 190 on Saturday. Both women weighed in successfully (Rousey 135 at and Correia at 134, per the UFC live stream) and …
It’s official.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title against Bethe Correia in the main event of UFC 190 on Saturday. Both women weighed in successfully (Rousey 135 at and Correia at 134, per the UFC live stream) and the fight is on. You can watch the weigh-in and post-event comments in the video from the UFC below:
The War of Words
The back-and-forth between Rousey and Correia will likely continue up to their bout on Saturday. These two don’t seem to like each other and it’s not all about the hype.
What started out as a normal call out from a challenger to a champion has taken on a different tone. Correia owns wins over Rousey‘s close friends Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler, which led to her calling out Rousey. The champion accepted and said that she wanted to beat the Brazilian in front of her people in Brazil.
Apparently, Correia didn’t take too kindly to that trash talk. She took things to the next level and began to mention details about Rousey‘s personal life. Correia targeted Rousey‘s previous drug use and her time as a runaway.
What really struck a nerve were Correia‘s comments related to suicide. Correia said, “I hope that when I beat her, she doesn’t kill herself.” Because Rousey‘s father committed suicide, the champion felt the comments were out of bounds. She has sworn to punish Correia for her poor choice of words.
Despite Correia‘s apologies and her saying she didn’t know about the champion’s father, Rousey has been unrelenting in her stance. The UFC chronicled the entire path to Saturday’s main event and the war of words in the video below:
Prediction
Barring something completely unforeseen, Rousey will defeat Correia. No opponent has ever gone the distance with Rousey and Correia probably won’t be the first. The Brazilian is an aggressive striker, which could lead to early problems if she is over aggressive.
Rousey‘s striking has advanced hugely over the last two years and her grappling has always been world class. She looks to be better than her opponent in every way. The only logical prediction is Rousey by TKO or submission in the first round.
Ronda Rousey has won five Fight Night bonuses in her last four UFC fights. She’ll make it six in her last five on Saturday night in Brazil when she dismantles Bethe Correia in the main event of UFC 190.
Correia is a native Brazilian, but Rousey’s popul…
Ronda Rousey has won five Fight Night bonuses in her last four UFC fights. She’ll make it six in her last five on Saturday night in Brazil when she dismantles Bethe Correia in the main event of UFC 190.
Correia is a native Brazilian, but Rousey‘s popularity has grown so much that the champion may have just as many—if not more—fans at the HSBC Arena. In the Octagon, Rousey is likely better than Correia in every facet of MMA.
While Correia is known as a pure striker, Rousey has shown tremendous growth in this area since coming to the UFC. Because she’s a couple of inches taller and a little better athlete than Correia (5’5″), Rousey (5’7″) should have the advantage in striking.
If the fight goes to the mat, there’s no question who has the advantage. Rousey has 11 wins with nine coming by way of submission. Correia has just two stoppage wins in her career, and none has come by submission.
The Brazilian is in over her head, and Rousey will take full advantage. Rousey will take home one of the two Performance of the Night bonuses.
Neil Magny Will Stop Maia
Neil Magny sounds ready to put on a show in his preliminary scrap with Demian Maia. Per Jordan Newmark of UFC.com, Magny said:
He’s already made a name for himself and he already has a huge legacy. I’m trying to come in and take over where he’s left off. He’s fighting to keep what he has and I’m fighting to take it from him. It’s a fight where both guys are not going to hold back and they’re going to leave it all in there.
Any fighter who hopes to stand a chance against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu master like Maia has to either have stellar takedown defense or be comfortable on the mat.
Magny has a little bit of both. His takedown defense is 71 percent, and his ground game has improved rapidly over the last three years. Magny is currently ranked 13th and riding a seven-fight win streak. A win over Maia would vault him into the Top 10 of the UFC’s welterweight division.
Maia is no easy win in any arena or country, but the 37-year-old is especially tough in his homeland. He’s lost just once professionally in Brazil in seven fights. That will only make Magny‘s win more impressive. He’s had back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses, and a third is on the way.
Because of Magny‘s takedown defense, defensive grappling skills and extraordinary 80-inch reach, he has all the physical tools and skills to beat Maia. Look for a second-round TKO victory in a dominant win from Magny.
Shogun and Nogueira Will Produce the Fight of the Night
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will come to fight. Both men are Brazilian jiu-jitsu experts, but this fight will be fought on the feet. For as long the fight lasts, there will be fists, knees and feet flying between the two Brazilian legends.
The two men met when both were in PRIDE back in 2005. Rua won a unanimous decision, and the fight was a classic. The rematch could be just as good. The UFC recounted the first fight and previewed Saturday’s rematch:
Rua and Nogueira know they are at the close of their illustrious careers. Getting back into the title picture isn’t realistic, but putting on a show in front of their countrymen is an attainable goal.
Expect to see one of the most memorable fights of the year and the Fight of the Night.
Fight stats and fighter heights are courtesy of FightMetric.com.
Ronda Rousey will defend her UFC women’s bantamweight title on Saturday night in Brazil against Bethe Correia in the main event of UFC 190. This is a grudge match as the two women have traded mean-spirited comments at one another over the past month. T…
Ronda Rousey will defend her UFC women’s bantamweight title on Saturday night in Brazil against Bethe Correia in the main event of UFC 190. This is a grudge match as the two women have traded mean-spirited comments at one another over the past month. That trend continued at Thursday’s press event, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports.
It’ll all come to a head on Saturday night.
In the co-feature, Brazilian legends Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will renew acquaintances. The two men battled in one of the sport’s most legendary contests when both were in PRIDE back in 2005. Rua won a hard-fought unanimous decision, but it was a back-and-forth battle.
Fans and the UFC are hoping Rua and Nogueira pick up where they left off 10 years ago.
When: Saturday, August 1 at 7 p.m. ET
Where:HSBC Arena in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil
TV: Fox Sports 1 for preliminaries, PPV for main card
Here’s a look at the complete card with predictions for each bout.
Rousey Will Punish Correia
Correia is not backing down from Rousey and she deserves credit for her courage, but the bravado will be short-lived. Amanda Salvato of the UFC spoke with Correia about her preparation for the biggest fight of her life.
There is really no conceivable way Correia can defeat the champion. Barring something completely crazy like Rousey slipping on the Octagon steps, or getting her foot caught on the cage during the bout, Correia will lose.
It’s really just a matter of how badly and in what manner she’ll be beaten. While Correia is a good striker with accuracy at 55 percent, she’s never had to throw hands with an opponent who could make her pay in as many ways as Rousey can.
Whether it’s with a counter from her ever-improving striking, or a nasty judo takedown, Correia‘s margin for error is about as slim as Christian Bale in The Machinist. Correia doesn’t have the power to make the few opportunities she might have during stand-up exchanges count.
Thus she has to fight the perfect fight just to keep it competitive. That won’t happen. She’ll be wiped out by a determined and destructive Rousey in the first round.
Little Nog Will Win the Rematch
Quite honestly, the battle between Rua and Nogueira is a matchup between two shot fighters at the end of their careers. That might sound like a downer for a potentially amazing fight, but it’s the truth. Andrew Richardson of MMA Mania is blunt and truthful about the dynamics of this bout:
He’s [Rua] lost four of his last five bouts and was finished in three of those losses, meaning even his once iron chin has started to crack. If the Brazilian can’t get a victory here, he may be at the end of his career. If Nogueira were to remain healthy for more than a few months a time, he’d likely be on a similar slide to “Shogun.” Regardless, the younger Nogueira brother also really needs this victory, otherwise he’ll be in Rua‘s current position.
Rua is only 33 years old, but with 32 professional fights and a good number of wars during his career, he’s a shell of the guy he used to be.
Nogueira is 39 and he’s been in his share of bloody battles as well. His speed and defensive instincts have declined noticeably.
With all that said, this fight should still be spectacular. Both guys are proud Brazilians who will want nothing more than to put on a show in front of their countrymen. Expect a stand-up war and a victory by Nogueira.
He’s always been the more technically sound striker and despite being older than Rua, Little Nog likely has more tread remaining on his tires.
Magny Will Score the Biggest Win on the Card
Demian Maia will not want to lose in front of his people, but Neil Magny won’t give him another choice. The American has won seven fights in a row and he’s the most improved fighter in the promotion over the last three years.
His wrestling and submissions skills have grown by leaps and bounds. He used a dominant ground game in his last two fights that resulted in stoppage wins over HyunGyuLim and KiichiKunimoto. Magny is also blessed with an extraordinary 80″ reach that makes it difficult to out-strike him.
Maia might be the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist in the sport, but his striking isn’t on par with Magny‘s. Because of Magny‘s constant improvement on the ground, Maia doesn’t hold a significant advantage there. Magny will win this one by one-sided unanimous decision or second-round TKO.
Someone’s “0” has to go in the main event of UFC 190 in Brazil. Undefeated women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (11-0) will defend her title against Brazilian striker and undefeated challenger Bethe Correia (9-0). Here’s a look at the tale of the…
Someone’s “0” has to go in the main event of UFC 190 in Brazil. Undefeated women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (11-0) will defend her title against Brazilian striker and undefeated challenger Bethe Correia (9-0). Here’s a look at the tale of the tape.
By most accounts, Rousey is going to have her way with Correia. Beyond the fact that Rousey is the bigger, more athletic and more skilled fighter, Correia has also made Rousey angry with controversial comments about suicide.
Rousey, whose father took his own life, took offense to the comments, and she has promised to try to humiliate Correia. Correiaclaims she didn’t know about Rousey‘s family history and apologized when she was made aware in the video below from USA Today:
In this video interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, Rousey rejected the apology:
In the Octagon, we’ve got a compelling but potentially one-sided main event on the way. Here’s how the two women compare stylistically and statistically.
Striking
The stand-up game was once viewed as a weakness for Rousey, but she has worked diligently to make herself a weapon on her feet. She stopped Sara McMann with a knee to the midsection and also displayed some solid striking against Alexis Davis.
Rousey lands 3.66 strikes per minute in her fights. That’s decent, but two factors likely drag down those numbers: Her average fight time is only 2:39, and her judo and submission skills still anchor her game. To put it plainly, she’s an even better striker than the numbers indicate.
Defensively, Rousey could be a little better. Her striking defense is just 53 percent. The thing that makes her so difficult to beat—even with flawed striking defense—is that there are few, if any, 135-pound fighters with enough power to make her pay for taking their shots.
Correia is on par with Rousey as a striker, but her lack of length and power will make it tough to gain an advantage in stand-up exchanges. In her career, she’s landed 6.07 strikes per minute and defended 66 percent of the attacks.
She’s clearly a volume striker, but Rousey‘s dominance may not give Correia an opportunity to do damage with cumulative punishment.
Advantage: Slightly in Rousey‘s favor.
Grappling
This category is a total wipeout, as it would be with Rousey pitted against any opponent in the world. Nine of her 11 wins have come by submission, and quite honestly, all of them could have been via armbar had she wanted to end the Davis and McMann fights in that manner.
She has a 72 percenttakedown accuracy, and her 60 percenttakedown defense is irrelevant. No one wants to take Rousey to the mat. If she’s down, it’s probably because she wanted to be there.
Correia does have an excellent takedown defense percentage at 80 percent, but she’s never faced Rousey. That’s like a pitcher having an ERA under 2.00 in the minor leagues. It looks nice, but it doesn’t matter much until the hurler faces major league hitters.
Correia is about to be called up to The Show, and Rousey is Mike Trout.
Advantage: Rousey in a landslide.
Finishing
Here’s another area in which Rousey can’t be compared to any other fighter—let alone someone in her division. She has finished every opponent she’s ever faced, and only one has made it out of the first round.
Correia‘s fights almost always go the distance. She’s a grinder. The Brazilian has no wins by submission and only two TKO victories.
Advantage: Rousey.
Intangibles
No one in professional sports has an aura quite like the one Rousey carries right now. She appears to have supreme confidence, and we all know her competency level is through the roof. That said, she’s never really been in a war.
She’s only had to face adversity one time in her professional MMA career. That came in her first UFC fight against Liz Carmouche, who took Rousey‘s back and looked to be working on a rear-naked choke. Carmouche lacked experience, though, and thus she couldn’t lock it in. She would later succumb to the dreaded armbar.
That brings up this question: How would Rousey respond if she truly got rocked from a punch? Could Correia be the one to put her to the test?
She seems to have the right mentality heading into this fight. Then again, every one of Rousey‘s victims has talked a good game before having her arms wrenched, torso kneed and face punched in. Until we see differently, Rousey owns all of the intangibles.
Advantage: Rousey.
Who Wins?
Correia is the next victim in line. She’s tough, but if you’re considering betting on her, you’d be better off giving that money to your favorite charity—since you’re in the giving mood.
It would be a great story if Correia won, but she won’t. Rousey will dominate, and the quest for a legitimate challenger will continue.
If UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey can defeat Bethe Correia on Saturday at UFC 190 in Brazil, she already knows who she’ll be fighting next. On Saturday, Miesha Tate scored a dominant unanimous-decision victory over Jessica Eye. It would…
If UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey can defeat Bethe Correia on Saturday at UFC 190 in Brazil, she already knows who she’ll be fighting next. On Saturday, Miesha Tate scored a dominant unanimous-decision victory over Jessica Eye. It would be the third time Rousey and Tate will have locked horns with the champion having won the previous two meetings.
Rousey is a huge 15-1 favorite, per Odds Shark, to beat Correia despite the fact that the fight will take place in the challenger’s home country of Brazil.
Correia is a pure striker with heart, but no one’s ever truly tested her in the Octagon. Despite her 9-0 record, Correia doesn’t even have a win over a fighter currently ranked in the UFC’s Top 15.
Rousey has beaten any and every challenger in her division, and that includes half of the Top 10. She’s been so dominant it’s gotten to the point that we’re forced to look outside the promotion, weight class and even gender and sport for a formidable challenger.
Both Rousey and Correia have traded barbs. Rousey has expressed her desire to punish Correia “in the most devastating way possible,” per the video below from FightHype.com:
Does Correia have a real chance to win? You’ll have a hard time finding anyone who thinks the challenger can win. MMAjunkie’s Ben Fowlkes called it a “squash match.”
Steve Rondina of Bleacher Report thinks the result will be purely academic. He wrote: “Rousey will defeat Correia with ease. That is pretty much a guarantee. The only question is if this victory will be a quick, efficient fight, as it was with Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano, or if it will be a prolonged, sadistic beating like what we saw in her fight against Miesha Tate.”
Even the most imaginative pundit would have to stretch the truth to find a compelling argument in favor of Correia. Rousey is a better athlete, longer and just as ferocious as her.
That doesn’t even begin to address the epic advantage Rousey would have if the fight spills onto the canvas. There’s literally no fighter in the world Correia could have in her camp to simulate Rousey‘s judo throws and submissions.
Expect Rousey to put on a show with a well-balanced and methodical dismantling of Correia.
Ronda Rousey is going to beat Bethe Correia, but you shouldn’t draft her in a UFC 190 DraftKings contest.
There’s almost no conceivable way Correia can beat the UFC women’s bantamweight champion—even with the event taking place in the challenger’…
Ronda Rousey is going to beat Bethe Correia, but you shouldn’t draft her in a UFC 190DraftKings contest.
There’s almost no conceivable way Correia can beat the UFC women’s bantamweight champion—even with the event taking place in the challenger’s home country of Brazil. But there’s two major reasons why Rousey isn’t a smart pick in a DraftKings contest.
First off, her DK salary is about as high as you’ll ever see for one fighter at $12,200. That makes it virtually impossible for you to draft any of the other favorites.
There should be serious concern as to whether you’ll be able to tab other winners from the card, and it just about eliminates the opportunity to draft other favorites.
Secondly, there’s some belief that Rousey wants to punish Correia. That could mean Rousey will allow the fight to last more than one round so that she can inflict more damage. That might score some style points, but it will diminish the amount of fantasy points Rousey earns for your lineup.
Rousey‘s a lock to win, but due to the dynamics of the UFC 190 card, it’s best to avoid picking the most dangerous unarmed woman in the world.
Here’s my optimal lineup for UFC 190:
SoaPalelei ($10,600) vs. Antonio Silva
This pick is as much about who Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva isn’t any longer as it is who SoaPalelei is as a fighter. The latter is a big, strong, powerful striker and accomplished submissions fighter. He’s dangerous against most heavyweights.
Silva has been in his share of huge fights and even pulled out some big wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem and the legendary FedorEmelianenko. That said, Bigfoot is spent.
The 35-year-old Brazilian hasn’t won a fight in three years and has lost five of his last eight bouts. Palelei hasn’t been stopped since 2010 when he submitted to Daniel Cormier from punches when the two were with XMMA. Palelei has lost just one fight in that time span, and all 22 of his wins have come by stoppage (18 KO, four submissions). If he’s winning, it’s not going the distance.
Palelei will win this bout in smashing fashion, and it won’t last beyond the first round.
Patrick Cummins ($10,600) vs. Rafael Cavalcante
Ryan Bader dominated Rafael Cavalcante with his wrestling and top control in their bout back in April 2015. Expect Patrick Cummins to utilize the same game plan when he takes on the Brazilian.
Cummins is a two-time Division I All-American from Penn State. His ground game is among the best in the sport, and fighters with that skill level can dismantle him as long as they don’t attempt to stand and trade punches.
Cavalcante owns wins over established wrestlers such as Yoel Romero and MuhammedLawal, but the mistake Romero and Lawal made was to try and win a stand-up battle. Cummins won’t make that mistake. He knows who he is and won’t deviate from his best plan of attack.
A ground-and-pound finish is possible, as is a second-round submission.
Stefan Struve ($10,800) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
This fight is somewhat similar to the Palelei vs. Silva battle. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a Brazilian legend, but recent history suggests the 39-year-old is way past his prime. He’s lost his last two fights with each loss coming by way of stoppage.
Roy Nelson knocked him out in August 2014 and Fabricio Werdum submitted him in June 2013. There’s a good chance Nogueira is just about done winning in the UFC unless he’s given a cookie in his last fight a la Mark Munoz.
Stefan “The Skyscraper” Struve is in no way an elite heavyweight. The 7-footer has good power, incredible length and a ton of heart, but he’s easy to hit and his chin has given way in six of his seven losses. The only issue here is that Nogueira isn’t known for his punching power.
Just three of his 34 wins have come by strikes, which means he’ll likely have to take the tall timber down to get the win. At Nogueira’s advanced age, that’s a risky proposition. It seems far more likely that Struve catches Nogueira with a big shot that sets up a KO victory for the Skyscraper.
Neil Magny ($9,000) vs. Demian Maia
Normally, any fighter facing Demian Maia is at a huge disadvantage when it comes to grappling. However, in this matchup, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu master won’t have as big of an edge over his opponent. Neil Magny is perhaps the most improved fighter in the promotion over the last three years. The 27-year-old veteran has won seven fights in a row and is a legitimate contender at 170 pounds.
Magny‘s ground game has become formidable, as evidenced by his last two wins (against HyunGyuLim and KiichiKunimoto). Magny used his long 6’3″ frame to control his opponents on the mat, securing a TKO and submission victory in the bouts, respectively.
Magny may not be equal or superior to Maia on the ground, but he’s good enough there to hold his own. His length and superior athleticism give him an edge in striking and the inside track on an upset.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira ($8,900) vs. Shogun Rua
Like his twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has been through his share of wars, and there’s unquestionable wear on his pugilistic treads. That said, he’s probably in better shape than his opponent.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has lost seven of his last 11 fights, and four of the defeats have come by stoppage. Even some of his wins in that time have been brutal back-and-forth scraps.
Ovince St. Preux and Dan Henderson viciously stopped Rua in his last two fights. If there’s ever been a legend who needs to hang up the gloves, it’s Rua. Despite the fact that Shogun has a higher DK salary, this looks like a fight he could lose and ultimately put a firm stamp on the end of his fighting career.
It’s official.