Rivalries: Bethe Correia

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Bethe Correia’s talents could not have taken her any further than they did.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title challenger will close out her career in a three-round battle with Karol Rosa on the UFC Fight Night 193 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Correia owns a 5-5-1 record through 11 appearances inside the Octagon. The 38-year-old Brazilian last competed at UFC on ESPN 14, where she dropped a unanimous decision to Pannie Kianzad on July 25, 2020.

As Correia prepares to make her final walk to the cage, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape her career:

Jessamyn Duke

Multi-punch combinations and stinging leg kicks carried Correia to a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18 graduate in a UFC 172 women’s bantamweight prelim on April 26, 2014 at Baltimore Arena. All three cageside judges sided with the undefeated Brazilian: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27. Duke—part of Ronda Rousey’s infamous Four Horsewomen stable—had her moments, especially with the jab, but she failed to match her counterpart’s intensity and volume. Correia succumbed to a few takedowns but scrambled out of danger and answered every punch with three or four of her own, all while keeping the tall, lanky American off-balance with repeated kicks to her lead leg. By the time it was over, she had outlanded Duke in all three rounds and held a 118-70 advantage in total strikes.

Shayna Baszler

The surging Brazilian contender dispatched Baszler with a swarm of power punches in the second round of their UFC 177 women’s bantamweight showcase on Aug. 30, 2014 at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California. “The Queen of Spades” succumbed to successive shots to the head and body 1:56 into Round 2. Correia withstood the formidable ground attack of the longtime Josh Barnett protégé and future World Wrestling Entertainment superstar for much of the first frame. In the second, she bottled up Baszler on the fence and tagged her with a pair of standing elbows, forcing her into a defensive shell. Right and left hooks upstairs and to the body came next, as referee “Big” John McCarthy moved in for a closer look. Soon after, he had seen enough.

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Ronda Rousey

The leader of the Four Horsewomen stepped into Correia’s wheelhouse and did not blink. Rousey knocked out “Pitbull” in dramatic fashion to retain the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight crown in the UFC 190 headliner on Aug. 1, 2015 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. She needed just 34 seconds to complete her night’s work. Correia never stood a chance. Rousey walked through her punches, pinned the Brazilian brawler along the fence and fired away with rights and lefts until she was no longer standing. A right hand connected on Campina Grande, Brazil’s temple and sent Correia crashing face-first to the canvas, electrifying onlookers. McCarthy then jumped in to pry Rousey off the defenseless challenger.

Holly Holm

Correia decided to taunt at her own peril and ate a shin to the face for her troubles. Holm knocked out the Brazilian “Pitbull” with a head kick in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 111 headliner on June 17, 2017 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Correia met her end 69 seconds into Round 3. The two women got off to a woefully slow start and were admonished for timidity by referee Marc Goddard early in the second round. Not much changed until the third. There, Correia dropped her hands and urged the Jackson-Wink MMA standout forward. Her taunts proved costly, as Holm obliged and connected with a left high kick upstairs. A dazed and defenseless Correia hit the deck, where she was met with a slashing left hand from “The Preacher’s Daughter” before Goddard could arrive on the scene.