Ronda Rousey Vs. Bethe Correia: Is The Hype Painting ‘Pitbull’ The Villain When She May Be The Heroine At UFC 190?

In about five days, Ronda Rousey will be stepping into the Octagon again to defend both her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship and undefeated streak against Bethe Correia at UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia. For now, “Rowdy” is in the media, claiming she’ll beat Correia followed by Miesha Tate right before acting in another movie. Prior to such, she made her hatred for Correia clear, promising to make the fight last so she can hurt her opponent more. Rousey even went on record on this, saying Correia will “walk out looking different than she did walking in due to her onslaught.”

Nevertheless, by being the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Ronda Rousey is always followed by the media. Yet, Rousey plays them to her advantage. Ergo, is Rousey making herself the heroine and Bethe Correia the villain. Probably so. However, it may just be that Correia is actually the true heroine but the media is painting her the villain.

According to Rolling Stone, Bethe Correia thinks that Ronda Rousey has been playing the media to show her in a way she wants to be viewed. That would be both perfect and unbeatable. Also, Rousey is using them to christen herself the heroine and Bethe Correia the villain.

Bethe Correia understands this, exampled from a past situation in pertaining to one of her statements in promoting the fight. Reportedly, Correia said she hopes Ronda Rousey “doesn’t kill herself,” a statement often used to reference losers. Rousey took the statement as an insult towards her father, who committed suicide when she was young. Needless to say, Correia did not know about Rousey’s father’s suicide and publicly apologized. But still, Rousey used the situation to make herself the heroine, and maybe to some, the victim.

“I feel like she took something I said and she’s trying to turn it completely around. She’s trying to defame me for that and I’m not going to allow her to burn my name from something that she misinterpreted.”

From all that has happened, Bethe Correia is considered the “dark horse” in this fight, as reported by Ozy. By comparing skill sets and Ronda Rousey’s campaign to persecute and crucify Correia, generally everyone is against “Pitbull.” Most people are saying the fight will be boring because it is mismatched. Even the odds are highly in Rousey’s favor, fifteen to one.

But in reality, Bethe Correia might just be the true heroine of this fight. Why? “Pitbull” is fighting for something more than just herself. As stated in MMA Fighting, Correia is fighting for her people.

“I’m gonna be a real champ. I’m gonna do something for the people. I’m gonna be the people’s champ.”

Bethe Correia understands a champion is also a role model, something she is willing to take on. Right now, it is difficult for female Brazilian fighters to join MMA. First, the majority of women (or people for that matter) are unable to afford the grind of becoming an MMA fighter, made worse over the fact that Brazil’s urban areas (where MMA is mostly taught) are equal to Latin American countries living in poverty. Second, the culture looks down on women in MMA, basing their reasons on sexism. Correia wants to break those barriers, helping other Brazilian women enter MMA as well as helping her people. Correia wants to do something about that.

On the other hand, Ronda Rousey doesn’t want or care about such. She doesn’t want to be a champion for the people, doesn’t want to train others (in which she hates it as proven by The Ultimate Fighter), and doesn’t care about being a “role model.” With the exception of the few she is truly close with, Rousey is said to be very selfish and a bad role model. Both Miesha Tate and Arianny Celeste are just some of the people who believe this.

In conclusion, the media has made Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia into a modern-day David vs. Goliath. Just like David, Correia is the underdog almost nobody believes will win, including many who support her. But if she keeps her faith, Correia will win the day, even against a Goliath like Rousey. All she needs is the right stone.

UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia will take place on August 1, 2015 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The main card starts at 10 p.m. EST and is only available through pay-per-view.

[Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images]