Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia: Half-Venezuelan & Brazilian Fighters Gear Up for the 'Real Woman Version of MMA Rocky IV' [Exclusive]
If you grew up watching Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" movies, then you know exactly what UFC Women's Bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey means when she says that her upcoming Aug. 1 UFC 190 fight with Brazilian fighter Bethe Correia will be the "real woman version of MMA Rocky IV."
Arguably the best "Rocky" film, Rousey would be Rocky of course, and Correia would be iron man Drago, "a highly intimidating 6-foot-5, 261-pound Soviet athlete, who kills Apollo Creed in an exhibition match." Like Rocky, who comes to the heart of Russia for several grueling boxing rounds of revenge, Rousey will be heading to South America to do the same, but on Brazilian soil in Rio de Janiero.
The American mixed martial artist and judoka, who is half-Venezuelan, spoke to Latin Post in an exclusive interview in Los Angeles where she dished on her thoughts on her opponent, who's been doing quite a bit of trash-talking.
"I am fighting this chick Bethe Correia who happened to fight two of my best friends before and was very disrespectful to them in an attempt to get my attention and get a fast-track to the title shot. And so, she's getting her wish," she told Latin Post.
"I told Dana (White, UFC President) that not only that I wanted to fight her but I wanted to beat her in her hometown and give the world a real woman MMA version of 'Rocky IV,'" she added. "August 1st. It will be fun!"
Rousey is the real deal and is considered the most dominant in her sport. She is also "the consensus #1 pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world," according to MMARising, MMAWeekly, among others. "She is also ranked #1 at 135 pounds according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings."
In 2008, Rousey became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Correia is also reportedly "undefeated, and riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC, including two wins over Rousey teammates Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke."
As mentioned Correia has been going below the belt in an attempt to further rev up her opponent. Recently, she made a distasteful and offensive comment involving suicide without allegedly not knowing that Rousey's father had committed suicide.
"Under pressure, she's showing she's weak. When mommy put some pressure, she ran away from home. When she lost, she did drugs..." Correia reportedly said. "There are a lot of people around her, she's winning, but when she realizes that's not everything, I don't know what might happen. I hope she doesn't commit suicide [laughs]."
Rousey gave a chilling response to Correia's incredibly insensitive comment, saying: "@bethecorreira suicide is no joke or selling point. My father will be with me the day I hand you the comeuppance you deserve."
At the same time, Rousey, who's also the former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight champ, can get a bit "Rowdy," just like her nickname. Recently, she's ruffled a few feathers in the media for her jab at undefeated boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr.
When asked if she would ever agree to fight Mayweather, Rousey responded: "Well, I would never say that I can't beat anyone," Access Hollywood reported. "I don't think me and him would ever fight unless we ended up dating."
At the time, she also praised Hall of Famer center Shaquille O'Neal's abilities, saying that he could last 45 seconds in the cage with her.
"Yeah, you know, if a chick could last past 45 seconds, I don't see why Shaq couldn't," Rousey said.
But they are big boys and can handle the heat; Correia on the other hand isn't backing down with her verbal sparring.
In a recent rant, Correia was translated as saying: "Ronda, you're not the superheroine you think you are. You are a farce, and I'll prove it on August 1," according to Fox Sports.
"I'll give you the biggest beating of your life, she added. "I'll make you suffer pain, I'll make you cry in pain. I'll humiliate you, and you'll leave your belt here. You're not a champion. I'm a champion. I invite you to try your MMA game because your judo is not going to work here. I'm gonna beat you up and everyone is going to see it. ..." (And there's more where that came from!)
Rousey has a stellar track record of finishing all of her opponents by armbar in the first round, a move that she "gently" used on Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) in "Entourage," as well as a "push kick."
If you're not familiar with an arm bar, according to reports, it's "a move known in judo as juji gatame, which can be painful to contemplate, let alone receive: it is a type of arm bar designed to hyperextend an opponent's elbow, stretching ligaments, tearing the articular capsule, and even grinding away the bone if the opponent doesn't concede quickly enough." Doesn't sound so pleasant, does it?
While Rousey joked with Latin Post, saying "juji gatame" five times when asked to repeat it, the move is really no laughing matter and would make you yell "stop!" five times instead.
Let's see if Correia surrenders to this move. Stay tuned!
Rousey and Correia will face off in the Octagon against at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 1. The tough, undefeated duo will headline the pay-per-view matchup and defend their titles.
Check out Latin Post's exclusive interview with Ronda Rousey, who stars in "Entourage," which is currently in theaters.