UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is "gonna have a ball" in the buildup to her UFC 190 fight with Bethe Correia, although she admits she'd "rather die" than taste defeat.
The undefeated champion recently spoke to Kenny Herzog of Rolling Stone, and she admitted Bethe's name—pronounced "Betch"—will play a leading role in her trash-talking before the Aug. 1 battle.
We saw that during a recent interview on The View, in which Rousey claimed, "I got 99 problems but a Bethe ain't one," a reference to Jay Z's "99 Problems" track, as reported by Damon Martin of Fox Sports.
Rousey shed some light on her thinking during the Rolling Stone chat:
I don't have a writer, OK? This isn't WWE. I make my own material on the spot. As soon as I heard her name, I was like, "Wait, hold on a second. It's really Bethe? Oh my God, promotion for this fight is gonna be so fun." What if I was fighting a girl named Bethe that I actually liked and I couldn't do anything with it? I can't stand this chick. I'm gonna have a ball with that name.
The WWE addict, who recently shocked fans with a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 31, also discussed why she loves watching professional wrestling, per Herzog:
What draws people into WWE are the storylines. Building that storyline into the fights is really important, because it makes the s--t personal to people who are watching.
If we're both sitting on a couch, and I like one person that's fighting and you like another person that's fighting, we're gonna start debating it, and whoever wins that fight solves the argument, so now we're personally invested.
Rousey doesn't proclaim to be someone she isn't, however, as Rolling Stone notes on Twitter:
Ronda Rousey’s resume: “There are better actresses out there, but there are no better fighters." http://t.co/SrRDjW6yGU
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) April 13, 2015
The iconic fighter doesn't worry about what might happen in the future. She has overcome great obstacles in her life, developing into arguably the UFC's most important signing at a time when the organisation is making great strides by developing women's MMA inside the Octagon.
Rousey suggests a potential future defeat can't outweigh previous losses, according to Herzog:
I don't waste my time thinking about things that aren't gonna happen. I've already coped with the largest losses I could possibly have. I've lost the finals of the World Championships, I've lost the Olympics twice. I know exactly what that feels like, and I'd rather die than go back there again.
Unsurprisingly, Rousey is a huge favourite to defeat Correia at UFC 190. Both fighters' records remain perfect, but Rousey's level of intensity far outweighs anything her opponent has faced. Rousey is a finisher, someone who remains eternally dangerous throughout fights, while Correia has won seven of her nine professional battles via decision, per ESPN.com.
The future appears remarkably bright for women's MMA and Rousey, who recently visited Manny Pacquiao in the lead-up to his battle with Floyd Mayweather Jr:
Thank you for visiting me @RondaRousey and for your support. God Bless! pic.twitter.com/Dcflha6aFR
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) April 14, 2015
Whether Rousey appears in WWE again or opts to smack down her future opponents with more cheesy one-liners, the 28-year-old's reputation is built on dominance once the cage door closes.
She knows she has little to prove but is going to enjoy the ride while it lasts.
