Back against the wall: Bethe Correia needs to dominate at UFC 237

Bethe Correia (10-3-1) will enter the octagon at UFC 237 this weekend with something to prove. The professional mixed martial artist will compete in her native country of Brazil for the third time since arriving in the UFC in 2013.

On Saturday night, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Correia will seek to earn her first UFC win in Brazil when she meets Mexico’s Irena Aldana (9-4).

Correia’s last two attempts for a win in Brazil include a fight that was ruled a majority draw against Marion Reneau in 2017 in Fortaleza, and the infamous 34-second knockout loss handed down by then bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in 2015.

Aside from wanting to have her hand raised in front of the many Brazilian fans who will be in attendance, Correia looks to get her entire career back on track as she has only recorded one victory in her last five attempts. The knockout loss in the championship bout against Rousey set the course for what would put Bethe Correia on shaky ground. She returned eight months later and dropped a split decision to Raquel Pennington, followed by a split decision win over Jessica Eye, a victory that many fans feel belonged to her opponent.

After the win, came the draw with Reneau, and then a devastating head-kick knockout loss by former champion Holly Holm.

Correia was oringally scheduled to face Aldana on August 4, 2018 at UFC 227. The bout was pulled from this event as Correia was forced to withdraw due to injury.

 

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In the first place I want to thank @irene.aldana for agreeing to fight with me in January. I was very excited to go to war with a Mexican woman. Unfortunately, I had an accident, had to go through an emergency surgery and my return to the most famous octagon in the world will take few more months. I was so excited to show to the world my evolution and what I learned with my experiences in Thailand and in Texas, anyway … I’ll meet you in the first semester of 2018. Injuries are a part of a fighter’s life and it prepares us for tough battles and for the overcoming of adversity, making us psychologically stronger. I want to thank Dr. Remo Turchetti for the success of the treatment, making me fit and prepared for the next @ufc battles. . Primeiramente queria agradecer a Irene Aldana, por aceitar lutar comigo em janeiro, estava super animada em ir pra guerra com uma mexicana. Infelizmente tive um acidente, tendo que passar por uma cirugia de urgência e minha volta ao octógono mais famoso do mundo será adiado por uns meses a mais. Estava extremamente empolgada em mostrar ao mundo minha evolução e o que aprendi nos meus intercâmbios na Tailandia e no Texas, enfim… encontro vocês no primeiro semestre de 2018. Lesões faz parte da vida de lutador e serve para nos preparar para batalhas duras e com a superação nos deixa psicologicamente mais forte. Quero agradecer ao Dr. Remo Turchetti pelo sucesso no tratamento, me deixando apta para as próximas batalhas no UFC.

A post shared by Bethe (@bethecorreia) on Oct 25, 2017 at 7:39am PDT

Correia underwent three eyes surgeries since her UFC 177 win over Shayna Bazler, and now looks to fight her way back to contender status, but the road to get there won’t be easy.

Aldana is on a two-fight win streak, following two UFC losses herself.  All four of Aldana’s UFC fights have went to a decision, two for, and two against her favor.

For Correia, this could be her last opportunity to show the UFC bosses that she means business.  The win against Bazler was her only finish in eight fights with the UFC, and only her second finish throughout her entire professional MMA career with spans 14 fights.

With her back against the wall, look for Bethe Correia to go all in against Aldana this Saturday in Brazil.  You can order the UFC 237 pay-per-view through the ESPN app here.

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