ANOTHER Ronda Rousey fight, another walk-over victory.
This time the UFC Bantamweight champion took a mere 34 seconds to dismantle her opponent, Brazilian Bethe Correia.
Much of the talk pre-fight centred around Correia’s antagonistic mockery of the champ Rousey, questioning her mental stability.
Those words came back to haunt the challenger in Rio, as a flurry of offense stumbled Rousey’s previously undefeated opponent, who then stumbled to the floor after she was dealt a lethal right-handed blow.
In the aftermath it appeared as though Rousey taunted her opponent once the referee called a halt to the match, with the retaining champion confirming as such in her post-fight press conference.
“I said the exact same thing she was saying to me at the weigh-ins when she was screaming in my face at weigh-ins. She was saying ‘Don’t cry’. Rousey said.
So I turned around to her after I knocked her out and I said ‘Don’t cry’.”
The last four women to step into the octagon with Rousey have lasted a total of 130 seconds combined.
If there was ever any doubt that Rousey is the most dominant female athlete in the UFC, the weekend’s crushing victory put all of those queries to bed.
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Was the market proven correct?
Rousey entered the fight as one of the shortest priced favourites ever, entering the August 1st fight in Rio de Janeiro, with online bookmaker Bet365 having the American as low as $1.05 leading into the fight.
The bookies were not confident the challenger could take the champion beyond the first round either, with Sportsbet placing the over/under market at 1.5 rounds, offering a short price of just $1.30.
The only market the bookies did not nail was the method of victory market, with the $1.45 on offer from William Hill for the match to end in a submission victory to Rousey not met, given the fight ended in a TKO win.
The TKO method of victory was $1.85 with Crownbet.
What’s next for Ronda Rousey?
The woman she has conquered twice before, Miesha Tate, earned the right to face the Bantamweight champion again after defeating Jessica Eye a week prior to Saturday’s Pay Per View,
Rousey spoke prior to the weekend’s fight about what her future holds inside and outside of the octagon.
“Here’s pretty much the plan: I’m going to beat up Bethe (Correia),” Rousey said.
“Then I’m going to take a couple of weeks to rest. And then I’m going to go beat up Miesha (Tate). And then I’m going to go to Thailand, or wherever we decide to film.
I’m going to prep for a month and start filming for eight to 10 weeks, and then go beat up the next chick. That’s pretty much my plan.”
Whether or not the UFC can find a competitor worthy of challenging Rousey remains to be seen, but given her unequivocal dominance of the scene has raised questions over whether the Bantamweight champion should change her division.
This would open the door for a fight between Ronda Rousey and Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino.
Justino, outside of Rousey is the most feared athlete in the UFC today, mercilessly dismantling every opponent Strikerforce and now the UFC could put in front of her.
Cyborg has championed for the fight with Rousey for years, but given the fact Justino competes at 145 pounds, and the UFC does not have a division for her, she would either have to drop down in weight or Rousey would have to go up.
Following her latest win, Rousey made it clear to Cyborg and UFC – get down to 135 pounds or the fight will not happen.
“I’m prepared to deal with anything. That’s why I’m the champ,” Rousey said.
“I fight in the UFC 135-pound division.
“She (Justino) can fight at 145 pumped full of steroids and she can make weight just like everybody else without them.”
This would obviously be a dream result for the sport, as it pits two of the most feared and respected UFC fighters of all-time against each other.
UFC president Dana White reiterated Rousey’s stance, saying Cyborg will have to make weight at 135 pounds if the fight is going to happen.
“That fight is ready to roll whenever Cyborg is ready,” White said.
If the fight does eventuate it will be the biggest fight in UFC history.
