‘Deadliest unarmed woman in the world’, ‘Most dominant athlete on the planet’, ‘Pound-for-pound top fighter’, ‘The greatest female fighter of all time’; the world has finally exhausted the list of superlatives to describe Ronda Rousey. Undefeated in eleven professional and three amatuer bouts, the Olympic-level judo expert has picked apart her competition with frightening ease. All of Rousey’s victories have come by the way of stoppage; 10 inside the first round, 9 by her patented armbar submission, and recently 2 have been halted thanks to her massively improved striking. Rousey isn’t just a one-dimensional grappler these days, she’s now capable of standing, trading, and beating her opponents on the feet.
Corriea might also be undefeated so far in her career, but this is where the similarities end. A striker with a background in kung fu, the Brazilian loves to pressure, close the distance and unload flurries of unrelenting strikes either from within the clinch or against the fence. Volume and precision have been key in all nine of her previous professional fights, but the Natal-native has also demonstrated an ability to get out of tricky situations on the ground, something that she’ll almost certainly need to replicate against the champion.
Corriea’s biggest advantage is arguably her ability to generate emotion from Rousey. A few ill-advised, but clearly unintentional comments involving an extremely touchy subject caused the champion to explode, declaring that she will “take her time” with her latest adversary. Knowing the odds, and well aware of Rousey’s knack for quick and violent finishes, Corriea’s trash talk might cause the champion to open up during the fight, gifting the striker with openings that wouldn’t usually be there. Fighting emotional is never a great idea...and a single punch can change the complexion of a fight completely.
Prediction: Let’s face it: the emotional element probably won’t even come into it. Rousey has fought heated rivals on multiple occasions in the past and has always left her feelings outside the cage. There’s no reason to expect this fight to be any different. Like so many of her predecessors, Correia’s primary weapons require her play directly into Rousey’s comfort zone. The seventh-ranked Bethe Correira is far from Rousey's toughest challenge, and it will show quickly. Correira will attempt to clinch, be hip-tossed to the mat, and submitted via armbar within the first round.
UFC 190 Main Card Predictions - Picks in bold:
Women's Strawweight - Cláudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar
Heavyweight - Antônio Silva vs. Soa Palelei
Heavyweight - Stefan Struve vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
Ultimate Fighter Brazil Bantamweight Final - Reginaldo Vieira vs. Dileno Lopes
Ultimate Fighter Brazil Lightweight Final - Glaico França vs. Fernando Bruno
Light Heavyweight - Maurício Rua vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira
Women's Bantamweight Championship - Ronda Rousey © vs. Bethe Correia
UFC Fight Picks 2015 Record: 59-34
What do you think will happen at UFC 190? Leave your predictions below!
