On Monday’s edition of the MMA podcast, The MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani had a discussion with current bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s coach Edmond Tarverdyan. During the interview he was asked if title challenger Bethe Correia is on the same level as the opponents she fought in the past. His response after a few moments of deliberation was, “she’s a bit green.”
This is a stance that most writers and MMA enthusiasts have taken with the Brazilian fighter as many are looking past Saturday’s fight. To the extent where one would start to question why this fight is taking place in the first place. Also, there seems to be a misogynistic angle that many are missing, as you often don't hear the same words addressed to male fighters. Last Saturday’s winner T.J. Dillashaw was a huge underdog in his first fight against Renan Barao, but even with the odds against him he was still given a “fighter's” chance. The same can’t be said for Bethe, and most attribute that to the dominance of Rousey, which is very understandable, but still somewhat unfair.
When you look at the list of fighters that Bethe Correia has faced they aren’t as esteemed as Ronda’s opponentsm but this is the best the UFC has to offer. So why does it seem that the champ is giving more respect to her challenger than anyone else? Rodney Dangerfield aside, the respect level for Correia is an all-time low and doesn’t seem to be improving. The Brazilian is 9-0 and has not only disheveled two of Ronda’s teammates but put Julie Kedzie in retirement. She comes from a tough camp that has a champion in their midst, in Bellator featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. So there should be some understanding on how to win for Correia, and one does not stay undefeated that long without some talent and dedication.
Hearing people say they don’t believe she works as hard as Ronda or has no business being in the cage as her, seems to be judging her with no true validation. It’s true we don’t see as many training videos on Instagram as Rousey for Bethe, but that does not mean she’s not putting the work in. It also stands to recognize that most critics haven’t even seen Correia fight, which also leads to the unjust analyst. If the UFC is setting up Correia to fail then so be it, but let’s not forget this is the fight game and one mistake can change everything.
The only question that needs to be asked for Bethe is if the spotlight is too big for her? This will be another day at the office for the champ who is used to this attention, but for Bethe she has never been on this type of stage. However, with her proud Brazilian people behind and the eyes of the world on the octagon, it could lead to something special. Will it be a special performance for the champ or possibly one of the greatest upsets in UFC history? We will all see this Saturday at UFC 190, but until then let’s give credit where credit is due. The greatest trick the devil ever did was making the world think he didn’t exist and there will truly be hell in Rio De Janerio on Saturday.