Justice is in the eyes of the beholder.
Ronda Rousey doesn’t mind being the villain, which she’ll likely become when she steps on South American soil on Saturday at UFC 190. She plans on prolonging the beating she hopes to hand down to Brazilian contender Bethe Correia. If everything goes according to plan, justice will be served for the reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
On the other hand, Correia is also looking for justice when she steps into the cage against a champion many consider the baddest woman on the planet. Much has been said between the two fighters, and Correia believes her name is being unfairly sullied as a result.
During an interview with Globo Esporte (h/t Bloody Elbow), Correia vowed to leave the HSBC Arena in Rio on Saturday with gold wrapped around her waist:
I’m thirsty. I’m hungry to fulfill my dream of being the champion. I’m hungry for justice, because Ronda is trying to denigrate my name. I’m hungry because of everything I went through these past few months. The real champion is coming. I will come back home with the belt around my waist. Ronda can’t even wonder what waits for her here in Brazil.
Correia got a lot of heat back in May after making controversial comments directed at Rousey during an interview with Combate, per MMAFighting.com. She said she hoped Rousey didn’t “commit suicide” when she loses at UFC 190.
Rousey, whose father committed suicide when she was younger, responded with this tweet.
Correia claimed she had no idea how Rousey’s father died when speaking to the Brazilian media, per MMAFighting’s Guilherme Cruz. She called her comments a knee-jerk response to being publicly humiliated by Rousey.
“She said I would have a meeting with Jesus, that she would humiliate me inside my house. So I responded talking about her history,” Correia said.
Fortunately for everyone involved, the time for talking is over. Correia will come into UFC 190 a heavy underdog against the undefeated champion. Rousey has finished her last three opponents in less than two minutes combined.
Correia, who is also undefeated, enters this fight with a lot of question marks. She has never beaten a top-10 fighter, and now she is tasked with toppling arguably the greatest female fighter in MMA history.
Fans should expect to learn a lot about Correia on Saturday.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.
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