Ronda Rousey crushes Bethe Correia to defend her title at UFC 190

No, it did not go as fast as her last fight, but only by a mere 15-16 seconds longer; undisputed UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (12-0) revitalized a down UFC 190 crowd with a first round KO.

“I planned not to force it… she went for the clinch, and couldn’t…”

Ronda Rousey (L) of U.S celebrates after defeating Bethe Correia of Brazil during their Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match, a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 1, 2015.

She dedicated the win to wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper and to her father. And consider this: In the UFC bantamweight division, Rousey has defeated the No. 1 contender (Miesha Tate) twice and the Nos. “‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper gave me permission to use his name”. Tate has the honour of being the only fighter to take Rousey out of the first round, but was finished in the 3 round by armbar in their 2nd meeting. I don’t think I would have had it go any other way.

Rousey, who was highly motivated to beat Correia after the challenger involved her family in pre-fight trash talk, showed off her highly improved striking game and an iron chin. Correia said she hopes that Ronda would not commit suicide if she loses, a reference to how Rousey’s father ended his life when she was still a young girl. Only once in Rousey’s 12 fights has she ever been taken to the second round and this is her third TKO victory.

“I hope him and my dad had a good time watching this today”. She didn’t flinch. The fans had been with her all week in Rio, surprising to a degree that they seemed to know Correia simply had no shot.

“Guys, I know you wanted him to win, but I couldn’t let that happen”, said Struve, who won on 30-27 across-the-board scores. “But when she said that is when it really crossed the line and became truly personal for me”. Two fighters headed in different directions in their career but gave an exciting fight for all to enjoy.

After taking care of her previous opponent in only 14 seconds, expectations were high for Rousey.

“I guess she can’t really say anything about my hands anymore”, Rousey said of Correia.

Rousey got Correia against the cage in the opening seconds and landed punches until the challenger fell forward and prompted the referee to stop the fight. Meanwhile, “Fight of the Night” was awarded to Shogun Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. It was a rematch of fight between the two in 2005, when Rua won a contest that lasted 38 minutes.

White has been trying for years to find the right fight for the big stadium.

Maia made a serious opponent in Magny look bad and inexperienced, and proved that he is one of the most suffocating fighters in the UFC.