UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is scheduled to defend her title against Cat Zigano on Feb. 28, and Bethe Correia is hoping to get a shot at the UFC star next.
Forced to decline a bout with Miesha Tate due to an injury, Correia eyes a return to the Octagon in March, and vows to finish any opponent in the first round — even Rousey.
“I will knock Ronda out in the first round,” Correia told MMAFighting.com. “I want her to beat Zigano fast and without injuries, so we can fight right after. I want to be the one to take her title.
“I will knock Ronda out in the first round, but first I’ll do her a favor and knock that mole off her face with a punch.”
Coming off three straight wins under the UFC banner and undefeated so far in her professional career with a 9-0 record, Correia wants to start finishing all of her fights via knockout.
“People know me as the horsewomen killer. I killed two already, and I will kill the number one next,” Correia said. “I’m cleared to fight in March, and I will fight whoever they want. Whoever steps inside the Octagon with me will go down. I want to be known as the greatest knockout artist in the UFC.”
UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is scheduled to defend her title against Cat Zigano on Feb. 28, and Bethe Correia is hoping to get a shot at the UFC star next.
Forced to decline a bout with Miesha Tate due to an injury, Correia eyes a return to the Octagon in March, and vows to finish any opponent in the first round — even Rousey.
“I will knock Ronda out in the first round,” Correia told MMAFighting.com. “I want her to beat Zigano fast and without injuries, so we can fight right after. I want to be the one to take her title.
“I will knock Ronda out in the first round, but first I’ll do her a favor and knock that mole off her face with a punch.”
Coming off three straight wins under the UFC banner and undefeated so far in her professional career with a 9-0 record, Correia wants to start finishing all of her fights via knockout.
“People know me as the horsewomen killer. I killed two already, and I will kill the number one next,” Correia said. “I’m cleared to fight in March, and I will fight whoever they want. Whoever steps inside the Octagon with me will go down. I want to be known as the greatest knockout artist in the UFC.”
Coming off a third-round TKO loss to Matt Brown in one of the best fights of 2014, Brazilian welterweight Erick Silva wants to end 2014 on a high note.
Scheduled to meet former RFA welterweight champion Mike Rhodes at UFC Fight Night 58 on Dec. 20 in Barueri, Brazil, Silva was forced to change his plans of training at Jackson’s MMA. A training partner of the likes of Anderson Silva and Ronaldo Souza at X-Gym, the welterweight was hoping to train at Greg Jackson’s team this year, but since the UFC offered him a fight in December, he won’t be able to train in Albuquerque until early 2015.
“I was hoping that my next fight would be next year, but since it’s already close, I plan on going there after my fight, with no training camp, to evaluate my performance,” Silva told MMAFighting.com. “I plan on spending some time there, but I’ll continue training at X-Gym.”
Following his loss to Brown in May, Silva underwent surgery in Brazil, and expects to perform better after going under the knife.
“I had surgery for deviated septum,” he said. “Recovery was great, I think it helped me breathe. I feel I trained better now, but we have such a great team, that works so hard, that it will also make the difference in my next fight.”
Rhodes is 0-2 under the UFC banner with losses to Robert Whittaker and George Sullivan, but he won’t be underestimated by the Brazilian.
“He’s a good athlete that is looking for his goals in the UFC,” Silva said. “I believe every fighter is well-rounded, everybody trains everything today. I know he’s a striker, but I’m prepared to fight everywhere the fight goes.
“I don’t care about names and rankings. I try to do my work, and that comes with my fights.”
Silva, who bounced between wins and losses since signing with the UFC in 2011, hopes to finally start a winning streak inside the Octagon.
“It always sucks to come from a loss, but my goal is to evolve, fix my mistakes and come back stronger,’ Silva said. “I’m already thinking ahead, trying to do my best and start a winning streak.”
Coming off a third-round TKO loss to Matt Brown in one of the best fights of 2014, Brazilian welterweight Erick Silva wants to end 2014 on a high note.
Scheduled to meet former RFA welterweight champion Mike Rhodes at UFC Fight Night 58 on Dec. 20 in Barueri, Brazil, Silva was forced to change his plans of training at Jackson’s MMA. A training partner of the likes of Anderson Silva and Ronaldo Souza at X-Gym, the welterweight was hoping to train at Greg Jackson’s team this year, but since the UFC offered him a fight in December, he won’t be able to train in Albuquerque until early 2015.
“I was hoping that my next fight would be next year, but since it’s already close, I plan on going there after my fight, with no training camp, to evaluate my performance,” Silva told MMAFighting.com. “I plan on spending some time there, but I’ll continue training at X-Gym.”
Following his loss to Brown in May, Silva underwent surgery in Brazil, and expects to perform better after going under the knife.
“I had surgery for deviated septum,” he said. “Recovery was great, I think it helped me breathe. I feel I trained better now, but we have such a great team, that works so hard, that it will also make the difference in my next fight.”
Rhodes is 0-2 under the UFC banner with losses to Robert Whittaker and George Sullivan, but he won’t be underestimated by the Brazilian.
“He’s a good athlete that is looking for his goals in the UFC,” Silva said. “I believe every fighter is well-rounded, everybody trains everything today. I know he’s a striker, but I’m prepared to fight everywhere the fight goes.
“I don’t care about names and rankings. I try to do my work, and that comes with my fights.”
Silva, who bounced between wins and losses since signing with the UFC in 2011, hopes to finally start a winning streak inside the Octagon.
“It always sucks to come from a loss, but my goal is to evolve, fix my mistakes and come back stronger,’ Silva said. “I’m already thinking ahead, trying to do my best and start a winning streak.”
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Undefeated strawweight Claudia Gadelha improved to 12-0 in MMA with a unanimous decision over Tina Lahdemaki in her UFC debut in July. Besides the win, Gadelha’s abs were one of the most discussed topics that night.
Making her return against fellow undefeated prospect Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC on FOX 13 on Dec. 13, Gadelha says her abs will look even better on weigh-ins.
“I don’t think about my abs that much, it’s just consequence of my hard work,” Gadelha said with a laugh. “I will be doing a different strategy for my next fight. I’m working with a doctor and a nutritionist, so instead of cutting 22 pounds on fight week, I lost 9 pounds of body fat and will only dehydrate 13 pounds on fight week, so my abs will look even better [laughs].”
Gadelha could earn a shot at the UFC strawweight championship with a win over Jedrzejczyk, and she knows that being successful inside the Octagon is not enough in women’s MMA.
“Unfortunately, fans don’t see you only as a fighter. As a marketing standpoint, you have to show your female side,” she said. “In men’s MMA, you just have to go there and fight. They see women’s MMA by both sides.
“I think that posing for a nude photo shoot is too much,” she continued. “Some photo shoots here and there is enough. I would do it. I did that already in the past. A bikini photo shoot, that’s fine.”
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Undefeated strawweight Claudia Gadelha improved to 12-0 in MMA with a unanimous decision over Tina Lahdemaki in her UFC debut in July. Besides the win, Gadelha’s abs were one of the most discussed topics that night.
Making her return against fellow undefeated prospect Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC on FOX 13 on Dec. 13, Gadelha says her abs will look even better on weigh-ins.
“I don’t think about my abs that much, it’s just consequence of my hard work,” Gadelha said with a laugh. “I will be doing a different strategy for my next fight. I’m working with a doctor and a nutritionist, so instead of cutting 22 pounds on fight week, I lost 9 pounds of body fat and will only dehydrate 13 pounds on fight week, so my abs will look even better [laughs].”
Gadelha could earn a shot at the UFC strawweight championship with a win over Jedrzejczyk, and she knows that being successful inside the Octagon is not enough in women’s MMA.
“Unfortunately, fans don’t see you only as a fighter. As a marketing standpoint, you have to show your female side,” she said. “In men’s MMA, you just have to go there and fight. They see women’s MMA by both sides.
“I think that posing for a nude photo shoot is too much,” she continued. “Some photo shoots here and there is enough. I would do it. I did that already in the past. A bikini photo shoot, that’s fine.”
Thiago Tavares and Nik Lentz are set to rematch at UFC Fight Night 60 in February, however, hours before the UFC announced the fight on Tuesday, Tavares underwent emergency knee surgery in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
“Just woke up in the Baia Sul hospital after undergoing emergency surgery with Dr. Luis Fernando Funchal,” Tavares posted on his Instagram on Wednesday morning. “Thanks to him, I will be 100 percent to fight on Feb. 14, representing my city and my country in the UFC.”
Tavares’ manager Alex Davis told MMAFighting.com that the UFC featherweight had to remove a knee cyst, “nothing serious,” he said, and will be cleared to face Lentz at UFC Fight Night 60.
Lentz and Tavares will rematch five years after a majority draw at UFC Fight Night 20 in 2010.
Thiago Tavares and Nik Lentz are set to rematch at UFC Fight Night 60 in February, however, hours before the UFC announced the fight on Tuesday, Tavares underwent emergency knee surgery in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
“Just woke up in the Baia Sul hospital after undergoing emergency surgery with Dr. Luis Fernando Funchal,” Tavares posted on his Instagram on Wednesday morning. “Thanks to him, I will be 100 percent to fight on Feb. 14, representing my city and my country in the UFC.”
Tavares’ manager Alex Davis told MMAFighting.com that the UFC featherweight had to remove a knee cyst, “nothing serious,” he said, and will be cleared to face Lentz at UFC Fight Night 60.
RIO DE JANEIRO — T.J. Dillashaw ended Renan Barao’s reign as UFC bantamweight champion with a fifth-round TKO in May, and the Brazilian hasn’t forgotten that loss.
Barao makes his return to the Octagon against Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Brazil, on Dec. 20, and he’s excited to fight in Brazil for the first since signing with Zuffa.
“Fighting in Brazil for the first time is amazing,” Barao said. “I’m well trained, doing an excellent camp. Every fight is important. Just to have the opportunity to go in there and show my work is amazing. I’m really happy with the opportunity to fight here.”
Barao didn’t have the chance to compete in front of his countrymen as a UFC champion, and he would love the opportunity to rematch Dillashaw in Brazil one day.
“I think he would crap his pants,” Barao said. “Fighting in the United States is easy. I want to see him fighting me in Brazil. It’s completely different.
“Dillashaw is talking too much crap. If we fight again, you can be sure it will be completely different,” he continued. “When we fight again, he will see the real champion. I don’t like to make jokes, talk trash. I like to show my work inside the cage, show the best Renan Barao possible. (Dillashaw) can enjoy that belt for now, because it’s coming back to Brazil soon.”
Dillashaw is expected to defend the UFC bantamweight title against former champion Dominick Cruz in early 2015, and Barao would pass on fighting for the championship for an opportunity to rematch Dillashaw, in case Cruz regains the gold next year.
“I’d rather fight Dillashaw first,” Barao said. “It would be a big fight. Fighting Dominick later would be great. I just want to fight the best and bring the title back to Brazil.
“My goal is to fight for the title again. If (Dillashaw) has the title, I hope I can fight him as soon as possible. That’s my goal.”
Dillashaw, the TUF 14 runner-up, is 7-2 under the UFC banner. Unbeaten since 2007, Cruz enters the bout coming off a devastating 61-second knockout win over Takeya Mizugaki.
“I don’t think (Dillashaw) gets past (Cruz),” Barao said. “I believe Dominick wins. He has more weapons, and I think he wins.”
RIO DE JANEIRO — T.J. Dillashaw ended Renan Barao’s reign as UFC bantamweight champion with a fifth-round TKO in May, and the Brazilian hasn’t forgotten that loss.
Barao makes his return to the Octagon against Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Brazil, on Dec. 20, and he’s excited to fight in Brazil for the first since signing with Zuffa.
“Fighting in Brazil for the first time is amazing,” Barao said. “I’m well trained, doing an excellent camp. Every fight is important. Just to have the opportunity to go in there and show my work is amazing. I’m really happy with the opportunity to fight here.”
Barao didn’t have the chance to compete in front of his countrymen as a UFC champion, and he would love the opportunity to rematch Dillashaw in Brazil one day.
“I think he would crap his pants,” Barao said. “Fighting in the United States is easy. I want to see him fighting me in Brazil. It’s completely different.
“Dillashaw is talking too much crap. If we fight again, you can be sure it will be completely different,” he continued. “When we fight again, he will see the real champion. I don’t like to make jokes, talk trash. I like to show my work inside the cage, show the best Renan Barao possible. (Dillashaw) can enjoy that belt for now, because it’s coming back to Brazil soon.”
Dillashaw is expected to defend the UFC bantamweight title against former champion Dominick Cruz in early 2015, and Barao would pass on fighting for the championship for an opportunity to rematch Dillashaw, in case Cruz regains the gold next year.
“I’d rather fight Dillashaw first,” Barao said. “It would be a big fight. Fighting Dominick later would be great. I just want to fight the best and bring the title back to Brazil.
“My goal is to fight for the title again. If (Dillashaw) has the title, I hope I can fight him as soon as possible. That’s my goal.”
Dillashaw, the TUF 14 runner-up, is 7-2 under the UFC banner. Unbeaten since 2007, Cruz enters the bout coming off a devastating 61-second knockout win over Takeya Mizugaki.
“I don’t think (Dillashaw) gets past (Cruz),” Barao said. “I believe Dominick wins. He has more weapons, and I think he wins.”
Riding a four-fight winning streak, the one-legged flyweight has signed a multi-fight deal with Legacy FC, promoter Mick Maynard told MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.
“I wanted to let you know we signed Matt Betzold to a multi fight deal,” Maynard said. “His first fight with us will be on February 27th in Houston with the opponent still to be decided.”
Betzold was signed with World Series of Fighting but, according to Legacy FC’s Maynard, “he is definitely no longer (signed) with them.” Betzold joked on Facebook that he was “dropped from WSOF,” because his “face is [too] ugly to air on NBC.”
Betzold (6-3), a member of Team Alpha Male in California, scored five of his six professional victories via submission and hasn’t lost since 2011.
“I got blood poisoning in my system,” Betzold said. “The poison and the toxins were clogging up my arteries and the poison was eating through my skin. They gave me antibiotics to reject the poison from my body, and it just started seeping through my pores. Basically I lost my leg because of a blood clot, and by the time I got out of the hospital, I had been in a coma for six weeks.
“They thought I was going to die so they didn’t give me the therapy that I needed, they didn’t move my body. When someone is in a coma, they’re supposed to move your body around everyday so your muscles don’t curl up on you. Well, they didn’t do that, so when I got out I couldn’t even move my arms, my neck was all curled up in my chest, and I had to go through a lot of therapy to get my mobility back from my joints.”
Riding a four-fight winning streak, the one-legged flyweight has signed a multi-fight deal with Legacy FC, promoter Mick Maynard told MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.
“I wanted to let you know we signed Matt Betzold to a multi fight deal,” Maynard said. “His first fight with us will be on February 27th in Houston with the opponent still to be decided.”
Betzold was signed with World Series of Fighting but, according to Legacy FC’s Maynard, “he is definitely no longer (signed) with them.” Betzold joked on Facebook that he was “dropped from WSOF,” because his “face is [too] ugly to air on NBC.”
Betzold (6-3), a member of Team Alpha Male in California, scored five of his six professional victories via submission and hasn’t lost since 2011.
“I got blood poisoning in my system,” Betzold said. “The poison and the toxins were clogging up my arteries and the poison was eating through my skin. They gave me antibiotics to reject the poison from my body, and it just started seeping through my pores. Basically I lost my leg because of a blood clot, and by the time I got out of the hospital, I had been in a coma for six weeks.
“They thought I was going to die so they didn’t give me the therapy that I needed, they didn’t move my body. When someone is in a coma, they’re supposed to move your body around everyday so your muscles don’t curl up on you. Well, they didn’t do that, so when I got out I couldn’t even move my arms, my neck was all curled up in my chest, and I had to go through a lot of therapy to get my mobility back from my joints.”
