There will be no shortage of star power for UFC 190 on Saturday night at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but there is no question the women’s bantamweight clash between Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correia will have fight fans across the globe captivated.
Rousey is the undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion and has barely been challenged during her professional career, but Correia will look to put a stop to that against her greatest rival and on home soil in front of her Brazilian fans.
Along with Rousey versus Correia, here is a full rundown of predictions for every UFC 190 bout, as well as all the information you need to enjoy the entire event.
Where: HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When: Saturday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. ET (early prelims), 8 p.m. ET (Fox Sports 1 prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (main card pay-per-view)
Watch: PPV (main card) and Fox Sports 1 (prelims)
Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass
UFC 190 Predictions
Breaking Down Top Fights
Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia
Rousey’s dominance is not unlike Mike Tyson’s run of success early in his boxing career, and Correia is hoping she can play the role of Buster Douglas on Saturday night.
Doing so will be an extremely tall order, but the 32-year-old Brazilian has done everything in her power to throw Rowdy off her game entering the fight. That includes comments to Damon Martin of Fox Sports, suggesting that the biggest star in women’s MMA is overrated:
Ronda has this characteristic of being this almighty perfect fighter, and the media’s created this illusion that she’s unbeatable. I don’t believe she’s unbeatable. I can go in there and beat her.
Even in the interview she did recently where she said she was going to use me as an example of what not to do for the other girls coming up—it’s something she’s trying to make herself seem so dangerous and make people fear her in a way. She’s trying to create this illusion around herself, and it’s making me want to go out there and do justice for everyone else.
Correia’s brashness has clearly fired Rousey up, as evidenced by her intensity during the the pre-fight staredown with her opponent, as seen in this video courtesy of UFC Canada:
Rousey also claimed that despite all but one of her fights being stopped in the first round, she intends to draw this one out in order to punish Correia, relayed by TMZ:
If I beat you quickly, that’s me at my nicest and most merciful. That means you get to go home unscathed with a paycheck. If I make the fight last longer, that means I don’t like you and I want you to go home looking different than the way you walked in…and I don’t like this chick.
Correia has talked a big game, but few expect her to come out on top. That includes Kenny Florian of UFC Tonight, who feels as though nobody is on Rousey’s level:
It is difficult to argue with that notion, considering the American superstar’s level of success, so the biggest question relates to how long the fight will last.
Despite Rousey’s contention that she will toy with Correia, she won’t do anything to risk a loss. Because of that, look for her to retain her title in vintage fashion with a first-round armbar.
Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
In a rematch that has been a decade in the making, Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will meet in what promises to be a highly competitive light heavyweight battle.
Rua defeated Nogueira 10 years ago in what many consider to be one of the greatest MMA fights of all time. Both fighters are much longer in the tooth now as Rua is 33 and Nogueira is 39, but the desire to win is still present.
For Nogueira, who has lost three of his past five fights, this meeting has been a long time coming, reported by Steven Marrocco and John Morgan of MMAjunkie:
“We were supposed to fight two years ago. But now, I have an opportunity to fight against him. So I think this fight was a war in 2005, so for me it’s a great opportunity to fight him again. I’m going to do my best to win this time.”
Although both fighters are probably a bit slower and less powerful than they were in 2005, Shogun feels as though the rematch will be similar to their first meeting, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting:
I expect a tough fight, man. ‘Minotouro’ is a tough fighter, has a huge heart, so I expect another war, just like in our 2005 fight. He likes to strike and so do I, so a brawl is inevitable, right? I’ve been fighting for over 10 years, and so does he, so I’m sure we both will keep it standing. It’s MMA, but our best weapon is our striking game.
The first edition of Rua versus Nogueira went the distance, and there is no reason to believe their rematch will be any different in that regard.
Rua enters the contest in the midst of a tough stretch, as he has dropped four of his past five fights, but thanks to the energy engendered by facing his greatest opponent in his home country, he’ll scratch out a back-and-forth decision victory.
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