Bethe Correia (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈbɛtʃi koˈʁejɐ]; born June 22, 1983) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the women's bantamweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2012, Correia has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Bethe Correia
Born (1983-06-22) June 22, 1983 (age 41)
Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil
NicknamePitbull
ResidenceNatal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1]
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
DivisionBantamweight
Reach64 in (163 cm)[2][3]
StyleSanda, Kung Fu, Boxing, BJJ, Wrestling
Fighting out ofNatal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
TeamPitbull Brothers MMA
American Kickboxing Academy (AKA)
RankPurple sash in Kung Fu[1]
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active2012–2021
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins11
By knockout2
By decision9
Losses6
By knockout2
By submission1
By decision3
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Early life

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Bethe Correia was born in Campina Grande, Paraiba. She graduated from college with a degree in accounting, but gradually found that she was "too hyperactive for office work".[4] While practicing Sanda, Correia concluded that fighting provided what had been "missing" in her life, and sought to compete in mixed martial arts (MMA).[1][4]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Correia studied a number of techniques at the onset of her MMA career, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sanda, and Amateur Wrestling.[1] She would eventually develop a preference for striking, particularly Boxing.[1][5]

She made her professional MMA debut in her native Brazil in May 2012, defeating Daniela Maria da Silva by unanimous decision at the First Fight: Revelations show. Training with the "Pitbull" brothers, Patrício and Patricky Freire, she won her first six fights within 13 months.[4]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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In October 2013, Correia signed a multi-fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[6] Correia noted, "Being in the UFC is having the chance to fight with the best in the world and accept big challenges. It's the dream of any fighter."[1]

Correia made her promotional debut the following December as she faced MMA veteran Julie Kedzie at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot.[7] At the time, Correia had fought in six professional bouts, while Kedzie had competed in 28.[4] Correia won the fight via split decision.[8]

She then faced Jessamyn Duke on April 26, 2014, at UFC 172. Despite her reach disadvantage, Correia used quick striking to out-point Duke and closed the gap by backing Duke toward the cage.[5] She won the fight by unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 30–27).[8]

Correia faced Shayna Baszler on August 30, 2014, at UFC 177.[9] After escaping a submission attempt in the first round, Correia became more aggressive with her striking and won by TKO at 1:56 of round 2.[10]

Bantamweight title shot

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Following her third consecutive win in the UFC, Correia was challenged by former Strikeforce bantamweight champions Sarah Kaufman and Miesha Tate.[11][12] "A lot of girls from the UFC roster want a bout with me," Correia noted.[12] She initially expressed interest in fighting Kaufman, but later stated that she was focused on getting a title shot against then-UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. "I want to face the champion," she said.[12]

After her earlier victory over Duke, a member of Rousey's informal "Four Horsewomen" stable, Correia began campaigning for a title shot against Rousey, holding four fingers to the camera and symbolically putting one down. She did likewise after beating Horsewoman Baszler.[13] In March 2015, UFC officials confirmed that Correia would fight Rousey for the title on August 1, 2015, at UFC 190.[14]

Despite the fact that Rousey had finished all but one of her previous fights within a round, Correia displayed much confidence heading into the bout, stating that she planned to give Rousey the worst beating of her career.[15] Subsequently, Correia lost the fight by knockout in only 34 seconds of the first round.[16]

Post title shot

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Following UFC 190, Correia expressed interest in bouts with Miesha Tate and Jessica Eye, but claimed that both women had declined.[17][18] Eye denied the claim and offered to fight Correia in Spring 2016.[19] In April 2016, Correia fought Raquel Pennington at UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans, losing via split decision.[20]

Correia next faced Jessica Eye at UFC 203 on September 10, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio.[21] She won the fight via split decision.[22]

Correia then faced Marion Reneau on March 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum.[23] The back-and-forth fight saw strong moments from both women, ultimately ending in a majority draw (29–27 Reneau, 28–28, and 28–28).[24] After the fight, Reneau disagreed with the result and said “I believe she won the first round; maybe she might’ve edged me out a little bit. I think I definitely won the second – and for sure I won the third round."[25]

Correia faced Holly Holm at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia on June 17, 2017, in Singapore.[26] She lost the fight via a head kick knockout in the third round.[27]

Correia was scheduled to face Irene Aldana on August 4, 2018, at UFC 227.[28] The bout was pulled from this event as Correia was forced to withdraw due to injury. The fight was not replaced.[29]

The bout with Aldana was rescheduled and is expected to take place on May 11, 2019, at UFC 237.[30] At the weigh-ins, Correia weighed in at 141 lbs, 5 pounds over the bantamweight limit of 136 lbs. She was fined 30% of her fight purse and the bout proceeded at catchweight.[31] She lost the fight via submission in round three.[32]

Correia faced Sijara Eubanks at UFC on ESPN+ 17.[33] She won the fight by unanimous decision.[34]

Correia was scheduled to face Pannie Kianzad on May 9, 2020, at UFC 250.[35] Due to the event being relocated to the United States, Correia being unable to compete due to visa issues:[36] However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date[37] The bout eventually took place on July 26, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14.[38] She lost the fight via unanimous decision [39]

Correia was scheduled to face Wu Yanan on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 19[40] However, due to visa issues which restricted travel for both participants, the matchup was rescheduled to January 16, 2021, at UFC on ABC 1.[41] Subsequently, Correia was forced to pull out of the bout in early January after undergoing surgery to remove her appendix.[42] She was replaced by promotional newcomer Joselyne Edwards. [43]

Correia faced Karol Rosa on October 2, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 193.[44] At the weigh-ins, Correia weighed in at 138.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the women's bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Correia was fined 20% which went to her opponent Rosa.[45] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[46] She announced her retirement from professional MMA competition after the fight.[47]

Fighting style

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Correia is a striker who largely uses boxing and grappling techniques. She is recognized for her punching combinations, counter strikes, spinning back fists, and aggressive right hands.[5][48] During her fight against Jessamyn Duke, she led by 100 strikes to Duke's 55.[5]

Correia is known for her use of dirty boxing and cutting off the cage. While clinching, she will usually move the fight toward the fence and attack with flurries.[49][50] At UFC 172, she used this technique to negate Jessamyn Duke's reach; she later used it to earn her stoppage against Shayna Baszler.[10]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
18 matches 11 wins 6 losses
By knockout 2 2
By submission 0 1
By decision 9 3
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 11–6–1 Karol Rosa Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker October 2, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (138.5 lb) bout; Correia missed weight.
Loss 11–5–1 Pannie Kianzad Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till July 26, 2020 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 11–4–1 Sijara Eubanks Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens September 21, 2019 3 5:00 Mexico City, Mexico
Loss 10–4–1 Irene Aldana Submission (armbar) UFC 237 May 11, 2019 3 3:24 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Catchweight (141 lb) bout; Correia missed weight.
Loss 10–3–1 Holly Holm KO (head kick and punch) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia June 17, 2017 3 1:09 Kallang, Singapore
Draw 10–2–1 Marion Reneau Draw (majority) UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum March 11, 2017 3 5:00 Fortaleza, Brazil
Win 10–2 Jessica Eye Decision (split) UFC 203 September 10, 2016 3 5:00 Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Loss 9–2 Raquel Pennington Decision (split) UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans April 16, 2016 3 5:00 Tampa, Florida, United States
Loss 9–1 Ronda Rousey KO (punch) UFC 190 August 1, 2015 1 0:34 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil For the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship.
Win 9–0 Shayna Baszler TKO (punches) UFC 177 August 30, 2014 2 1:56 Sacramento, California, United States
Win 8–0 Jessamyn Duke Decision (unanimous) UFC 172 April 26, 2014 3 5:00 Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Win 7–0 Julie Kedzie Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot December 7, 2013 3 5:00 Brisbane, Australia
Win 6–0 Erica Paes Decision (unanimous) Jungle Fight 54 June 29, 2013 3 5:00 Barra do Piraí, Brazil
Win 5–0 Juliete de Souza Decision (unanimous) WCC – W-Combat 17 June 1, 2013 3 5:00 Macapá, Brazil
Win 4–0 Anne Karoline TKO (punches) Bokum Fight Championship April 12, 2013 2 0:00 Aracaju, Brazil
Win 3–0 Elaine Albuquerque Decision (unanimous) Heat FC 4 – The Return October 18, 2012 3 5:00 Natal, Brazil
Win 2–0 Daniely dos Santos Decision (unanimous) Fort MMA 2 – Higo vs. Kevin July 27, 2012 3 5:00 Mossoró, Brazil
Win 1–0 Daniela da Silva Decision (unanimous) First Fight: Revelations May 31, 2012 3 5:00 Parnamirim, Brazil

[51]

Pay-per-view bouts

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No Event Fight Date Venue City PPV buys
1. UFC 190 Rousey vs. Correia August 1, 2015 HSBC Arena Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 900,000[52]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Bethe Correia - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "Bethe Correia | UFC". www.ufc.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  3. ^ "Fight Card - UFC 177 Dillashaw vs. Soto". UFC.com. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Erickson, Matt (2013-12-06). "Bethe Correia playing numbers game, and hopes UFC debut win is in the cards". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  5. ^ a b c d Martin, Damon (2014-04-26). "UFC 172 Fight blog recap". FoxSports.com. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  6. ^ "UFC signs Sergio Pettis and Bethe Correia". bloodyelbow.com. October 1, 2013.
  7. ^ "UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
  8. ^ a b "Bethe 'Pitbull' Correia". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
  9. ^ Matt Erickson (2014-07-08). "Shayna Baszler vs. Bethe Correia moves from UFC 176 to UFC 177 in Sacramento". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  10. ^ a b Thomas, Luke (2014-04-26). "UFC 172 undercard live blog: Benavidez vs. Elliott, more". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  11. ^ Zidan, Karim (2015-01-10). "Bethe Correia excited by Sarah Kaufman callout: I will beat her or anyone else by first-round knockout". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  12. ^ a b c Arbex, Fernando (2015-02-05). "Bethe Correia not interested in Miesha Tate fight: 'She wants the spotlight again'". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  13. ^ ""Year in the making, Rousey to face Correia at UFC 190", by Dave Deibert, PostMedia News". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  14. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2015-03-19). "Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia targeted for UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
  15. ^ Cepeda, Elias (2015-06-03). "Bethe Correia: Ronda Rousey is a farce". FoxSports.com. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  16. ^ Damon Martin (2015-08-02). "UFC 190: Ronda Rousey face plants Bethe Correia with 34-second knockout". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-08-02.
  17. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2015-12-02). "Bethe Correia Wants To Retire Miesha Tate: 'I will make your wish come true, Miesha'". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  18. ^ Holland, Jesse (2015-12-17). "Bethe Correia: Jessica Eye Rejected UFC Pittsburgh Fight Because She Wants To Do Movies". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  19. ^ Guillen, Adam (2015-12-23). "Jessica Eye denies turning down UFC fight against 'alligator mouth' Bethe Correia". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  20. ^ Fowlkes, Ben (16 April 2016). "UFC on FOX 19 results: Raquel Pennington takes close split decision from Bethe Correia". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  21. ^ Staff (2016-06-11). "Report: Cleveland-based Jessica Eye targeted for fight with Bethe Correia at UFC 203". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  22. ^ Fowlkes, Ben (10 September 2016). "UFC 203 results: Bethe Correia takes split from Jessica Eye – then hears chorus of boos for the ages". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  23. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bethe Correia-Marion Reneau, Paulo Costa-Alex Nicholson Join UFC Fight Night 106 in Fortaleza". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  24. ^ "UFC Fight Night 106 Results: Bethe Correia vs. Marion Reneau". | BJPenn.com. 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  25. ^ "Marion Reneau on Bethe Correia: 'I don't accept the draw' at UFC Fight Night 106". MMAjunkie. 2017-03-12. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  26. ^ "Holly Holm returns to 135 pounds, meets Bethe Correia in UFC Fight Night 111 headliner". MMAjunkie. 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  27. ^ "UFC Fight Night 111 results: Holly Holm answers Bethe Correia's request, KOs her with head kick". MMAjunkie. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  28. ^ DNA, MMA (17 May 2018). "Bethe Correia vs. Irene Aldana gaat alsnog gebeuren tijdens UFC 227 in Los Angeles". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  29. ^ "Bethe Correia pulled from UFC 227, Irene Aldana won't get replacement". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  30. ^ Ana Hissa and Raphael Marinho (2019-02-20). "Ultimate Bethe Correia brand against Irene Aldana at UFC 237, May 11, in Brazil" (in Portuguese). combate.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  31. ^ Carroll, Peter (2019-05-10). "Video: Bethe Correia badly misses weight for UFC 237 bout with Irene Aldana". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  32. ^ "UFC 237 results: Irene Aldana submits Bethe Correia in third round". MMA Junkie. 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  33. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2019-07-20). "Sijara Eubanks returns against Bethe Correia at UFC Mexico City". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  34. ^ "UFC on ESPN+ 17 results: Bethe Correia snaps skid, upsets Sijara Eubanks by decision". MMA Junkie. 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  35. ^ DNA, MMA (7 February 2020). "Bethe Correia treft Pannie Kianzad tijdens UFC 250 in São Paulo". Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  36. ^ Staff (2020-04-09). "Jose Aldo among Brazilians out of UFC 250 and beyond because of visa issues during pandemic". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  37. ^ Brett Okamoto (2020-04-09). "Dana White says UFC 249 will not happen April 18". espn.com. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  38. ^ "Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad rebooked for UFC event on July 25th". FightBook MMA. 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  39. ^ Vreeland, Daniel (2020-07-25). "UFC Fight Island 3 Results: Pannie Kianzad Beats Up Game Bethe Correira". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  40. ^ DNA, MMA (2020-09-07). "Bethe Correia treft Wu Yanan tijdens UFC evenement op 5 december". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  41. ^ Staff (2020-11-23). "UFC: Bethe Correia's retirement bout is postponed to January 16". espn.com.br. Retrieved 2020-11-29. (in Portuguese)
  42. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2021-01-05). "Bethe Correia to undergo surgery, withdraws from UFC Fight Island 7". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  43. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2021-01-07). "Joselyne Edwards to face Wu Yanan at UFC Fight Island 7 with Bethe Correia out". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  44. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-06-22). "Bethe Correia treft Karol Rosa tijdens laatste UFC gevecht op 2 oktober". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  45. ^ "UFC Fight Night 193 weigh-in results: Three fighters miss, one bout canceled". MMA Junkie. 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  46. ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-10-02). "UFC Vegas 38 Results: Karol Rosa Picks Up Decision, Sends Bethe Correia into Retirement". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  47. ^ "Former UFC title challenger Bethe Correia retires from MMA". MMA Junkie. 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  48. ^ "UFC Fight Night 33 Play-By-Play: Julie Kedzie Vs. Bethe Correia". mmaweekly.com. 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  49. ^ Winfree, Robert (2014-08-31). "411's UFC 177: Dillashaw vs. Soto Report 8.30.14". 411mania.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  50. ^ Csonka, Larry (2014-04-27). "411's UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira Report 4.26.14". 411mania.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
  51. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bethe". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  52. ^ "UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia | MMA Event". Tapology.
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