Bethe Correia was victorious against Shayna Baszler last Saturday night in what seemed to be a competitive bout until Correia blasted Baszler with elbows and punches to end the fight by (T)KO at the 1:56 mark of the second round. Correia gestured an “I want the belt” motion with her hands after the fight was stopped.
In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Correia boldly called out current reigning champion Ronda Rousey. Dana White mentioned in the post-fight press conference that Rousey wanted to fight Correia really bad due to her fellow Horsewomen Baszler and Jessamyn Duke tasting defeat at the hands of the talented Brazilian. White went on to say that Correia has to get a title shot by beating top opponents, not just because Rousey is mad at her. Cat Zingano is most likely the next to challenge Rousey if she can get past Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 at the end of the month.
Another factor about to add to the rivalry between Correia and Rousey is that Correia is friends with Christiane “Cyborg” Justino. Rousey and Cyborg have had words of war within the past couple months and Rousey has referred to Cyborg as an “unclean” fighter for testing positive for PEDs in the past.
The immediate future for Correia is unclear, but there are plenty of contenders in the UFC women’s bantamweight division that would be a great test for her. Possibilities include Jessica Eye, Lauren Murphy, Sara McMann, Alexis Davis, and the winner of Meisha Tate and Rin Nakai. Rousey has already beat a big portion of the women’s top 10, so Correia is an interesting addition to the division. Marina Shafir is the other Horsewoman, but she fights outside the UFC at 145 lbs, so it is unlikely that Correia will fight Shafir anytime soon.
Correia will be the talk of the women’s bantamweight division for a while, even though White stated in the post-fight press conference that she most likely will need another fight before she fights for the title; he also says that “anything can happen.” Many Correia fans are pushing for the Brazilian to get a title shot, so we will just have to see what happens.
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