Undefeated Ronda Rousey defended her bantamweight title by knocking out Bethe Correia only 34 seconds into the first round at UFC 190 on Saturday night, dedicating her win to the memory of Hall of Fame wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
Rousey charged at Correia at the start and finished the fight by throwing a rapid sequence of punches at the Brazilian’s head, landing a combination of right and left strikes that sent her opponent face-first into the ground and disappointed the home crowd that packed the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
It was yet another impressive performance by Rousey, who improved to 12-0 in her incredible MMA career. The UFC’s biggest star arrived in Rio as the overwhelming favourite against Correia (9-1) after winning her previous three title defences in a combined 96 seconds. She needed only 14 seconds to beat Cat Zingano at UFC 184 earlier this year.
“It was kind of how I expected it,” Rousey said. “I planned to instead of trying to force a clinch, overwhelm her by striking first so that she would want to clinch first, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Rousey came into the fight upset with Correia after the Brazilian made a comment apparently referencing to Rousey’s father’s suicide. Rousey said Correia crossed the line, so she would try to embarrass her in front of her fans. “I hope that nobody really brings up my family anymore when it comes to fights,” she said. “I hope this is the last time.”
Rousey said she was fighting in memory of Hall of Fame wrestler Roddy Piper, whose death was confirmed Friday. Piper was one of Rousey’s greatest heros and inspired her to take the “Rowdy” nickname. “We’ve lost a really close friend, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, who gave me his permission to use his name as a fighter, so I hope he and my dad had a good time watching this today,” Rousey said.
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