UFC 190 was headlined by a familiar sight: Ronda Rousey having the women’s bantamweight championship belt put around her after another beatdown that took less than a minute. This time, the opponent was Bethe Correia, but that’s ultimately inconsequential.
The point is that fans were treated to another jaw-dropping display from the sport’s most dominant champion.
That wasn’t all, though. The Brazilian-heavy card featured a few important heavyweight matchups as well as a rematch 10 years in the making. Here’s a look at the complete results with a closer look at the biggest fights from Saturday night.
UFC 190 Results
UFC 190 Main Card
- Ronda Rousey def. Bethe Correia, knockout (Round 1, 0:34)
- Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Glaico Franca def. Fernando Bruno, submission (Round 3, 4:46)
- Reginaldo Vieira def. Dileno Lopes, unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Stefan Struve def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Antonio Silva def. Soa Palelei, TKO (Round 2, 0:41)
- Claudia Gadelha def. Jessica Aguilar, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
- Demian Maia def. Neil Magny, submission (Round 2, 2:52)
- Patrick Cummins def. Rafael Cavalcante, TKO (Round 3, 0:45)
- Warlley Alves def. Nordine Taleb, submission (Round 2, 4:11)
- Iuri Alcantara def. Leandro Issa, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
- Vitor Miranda def. Clint Hester, TKO (Round 2, 2:38)
- Guido Cannetti def. Hugo Viana, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC 190 Highlights
Stefan Struve Takes Decision over Big Nog
Coming into UFC 190, Stefan Struve hadn’t won a fight in the Octagon since a 2012 TKO victory over Stipe Miocic. Much of that can be chalked up to a run of health issues for the 27-year-old. However, he also lost the only two fights he had in that span to Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem.
On Saturday, he took a big step toward getting back on the right track.
Struve wasn’t able to finish the fight, but his striking looked as polished as it’s been in the Octagon. According to FightMetric, the Dutch fighter opened up a 93-59 advantage in significant strikes while defending against 13 of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s 14 takedown attempts.
To make the result even more impressive, Struve wasn’t exactly 100 percent healthy. Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported that he had to fight through sickness on fight night:
Obviously, a win over Big Nog doesn’t mean what it used to. The loss was his third consecutive and fourth in his last five fights. At 39 years old, the best option for his long-term health might be dedicating himself to coaching and walking away from competing as a fighter.
However, the win is still enough to keep Struve relevant in the shallow heavyweight division. He entered the night ranked 15th in the heavyweight division but now has some upward mobility if he can prove he can remain healthy.
Shogun Rua Gets Back in the Win Column
Before Rousey got to do her thing in the main event, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua got back to his winning ways against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The two ran back their instant classic from their Pride days in 2005, and the result was exactly the same, yet different.
It was the same in the truest sense. Shogun Rua had his hand raised via unanimous decision. However, this edition of the fight featured a much longer feeling-out process, more grappling from Rua and a lot more wondering about retirement.
With back-to-back losses for Lil’ Nog, it’s unclear how much more he has to offer in the Octagon.
However, there’s still a possibility that Shogun can parlay this victory into another run to relevance. He recently reunited with trainer Rafael Cordeiro. Analysts like Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow attributed Rua‘s improvement to that move:
Cordeiro has had incredible success as a trainer recently. He elevated Fabricio Werdum and Rafael dos Anjos from consistent contenders to champions. Rua doesn’t appear to have enough to run all the way back to the title, but it’s possible that Cordeiro is extending his career in ways he couldn’t have done on his own.
Ronda Rousey Does It Yet Again
When “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey hangs up her gloves for good, she’s going to be remembered for the way she dispatched of the top fighters in her class with effortless ease. Her fight against Bethe Correia will definitely be mentioned as part of that legacy.
Rousey didn’t even have to administer her trademark armbar to get the early finish in this one. She brutalized the previously undefeated Correia and still ended her challenger’s night in just 34 seconds.
SportsCenter highlighted Rousey‘s ability to finish fights in brutally quick fashion:
At this point, it’s not really about the opponent. Correia was just the next name who hadn’t yet lost to Rousey. It’s simply about how dominant one champion can be.
A superfight against Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is about the only matchup where the opponent could genuinely create interest. According to MMA Fighting, UFC President Dana White said it’s a matchup that depends on Cyborg proving she can make the weight:
If that ever happens, Rousey will finally get to show what she can do against someone who may possess similar strength and athleticism.
Until then, fans can continue to tune in to see what absolute dominance looks like.
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