The only way Dana White and the UFC brass can silence the two young ladies who are vying for the number one contender shot is the good old fashioned way. Let 'em duke it out. The talking heads on mainmedia made a mockery of women’s mixed martial arts by expressing no one was worthy of facing current champion Ronda Rousey (11-0). Even ESPN's infamous Colin Cowherd mentioned her next opponent will probably be teaching a Zumba class somewhere before she faces her. Jessica Eye (11-2-1) and Bethe Correia (9-0) are a unfairly ranked 6th and 10th in the women’s 135 division and are the likely candidates. In regards to fresh faced opponents they would be significantly higher in the rankings and both carrying resumes strong enough to warrant a argument. White said after Ronda Rousey’s 14 sec finish over the then number 2 ranked Cat Zingano, that Bethe Corriera has been asking for this fight and Jessica Eye said she will beat up anyone who stood in her way. So it only seems fitting to put these two and a slot on the upcoming UFC 188 card in Mexico City, which would be perfect.
However, we aren’t sure either fighter would want to wait until June 13th and on the flipside Champ Ronda Rousey may not be wanting to wait too long either. Ronda said she wanted to remain busy in 2015 and waiting until the fall for a card would clearly not be ideal. The only X factor would be if she had some project outside of MMA that could keep her occupied as things sort out. If things remain the same at this time she will either be matched up once again with Miesha Tate (16-5) or Sarah Kaufman (17-2) if she is able to get past Alexis Davis in April. If Kaufman were to win and become the number one contender she would initiate a rematch against Rousey from Strikeforce. Sarah lost by armbar in :54 secs and that was back in 2012. While both fighters have improved in certain areas, we still don't see an answer for the armbar. Unfortunately the same thing can be said about Tate. Miesha has looked fantastic on her latest three fight win streak but even with all her tools still shows no answer for Rousey’s attacks and has lost two her two times.
Both Jessica Eye and Bethe Correia carry similar skills sets to the two aforementioned competitors. Jessica possess a deadly striking attack and uses pinpoint accuracy to pick her opponents apart. She’s very Gegard Mousasi and GSP-esque with her potent jab that can hit you from anywhere. In her fight against Kauffman she proved that she had the faster hands which is frightening for the division. Bethe, like Tate, has a more well rounded assault and uses her outstanding footwork and movement to provide constant pressure and cut down the size of the cage for her opponents. Correia has a very calculated attacked with an underrated ground game and vicious left overhand. Both of these ladies we feel would provide the kind of match up to push Ronda into the championship rounds.
We will have to see what Zuffa has planned for their bantamweight title holder. To say there is no competition left is an misfortunate understatement but looking at the rankings we can see how mainmedia can be lead astray. Similar to what the WWE is experiencing with a new focus on the Divas division due to an uproar to the fan base. The UFC needs to have these women on more cards as there are clearly enough available due to network and pay per view obligations. As we witnessed last weekend the ladies have no issues being the focal point on a major event but without constant exposure it leaves more to be desired. The talking heads would have no issue knowing Ronda’s potential next opponents if the world knew who the girls on the roster were in the first place. So let’s make it happen!