The three stars of ‘UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia' in Brazil

Ronda Rousey

The UFC plans to stage 45 events in 2015, and during that time, hundreds of fighters will enter and exit the octagon.

While pre-fight hype is an enjoyable aspect of the sport, it’s ultimately the in-cage performances that speak most to fans. For the majority of fighters, the opportunity to present their skills to the world only comes along a few times per year.

A total of 26 fighters got the chance on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

* * * *

Third Star: Demian Maia

At 37, Demian Maia (21-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) proved he’s still one of the top fighters in the UFC welterweight division.

Maia snapped Neil Magny’s (15-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) impressive seven-fight UFC winning streak with an utterly dominant performance that ended with a second-round submission finish.

It was only Maia’s second stoppage victory since 2009, but the display proved how dangerous the jiu-jitsu world champion can be when fighting on the ground.

Maia said after his victory that he believes he has what it takes to become the UFC’s 170-pound champion and wants to fight a top contender like Tyron Woodley, Johny Hendricks or Carlos Condit – or do a rematch with Rory MacDonald – to prove just that.

With a three-fight UFC winning streak under his belt, the Brazilian deserves such as opportunity.

Second Star: Claudia Gadelha

Claudia Gadelha

It was somewhat overshadowed by the rest of the card, but Claudia Gadelha (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) earned one of the most significant victories on the card when she defeated Jessica Aguilar (19-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to earn a shot at the UFC women’s strawweight championship (watch the Gadelha vs. Aguilar video highlights).

Gadelha completely shut down the former WSOF titleholder for a unanimous-decision victory. The win will set up a highly anticipated rematch with 115-pound champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC).

Gadelha is just one fight removed from a bout with Jedrzejczyk, but she has an argument at being the best in the weight class. She suffered a split-decision loss to the current champion at UFC on FOX 13 in December for the first and only defeat of her career.

The catch, however, is that many believe Gadelha won the fight. Of the 14 media outlets to score the contest via MMADecisions.com, 12 granted Gadelha the victory. The judges felt differently, though, and Jedrzejczyk had her hand raised and then moved on the capture the UFC title in her next bout.

Gadelha has been very vocal about her desire to rematch the dangerous Polish striker. She’ll get her opportunity after a big win at UFC 190.

First Star: Ronda Rousey

She did it again.

Despite threatening to drag out her UFC 190 main event bout with Bethe Correia (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) earned yet another quick finish to defend her title for the sixth time.

Rousey (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) handed Correia (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) her first pro loss when she scored a 34-second knockout that left her Brazilian foe unconscious on the canvas (watch the Rousey vs. Correia video highlights).

Rousey’s list of achievements and records is otherworldly. But beyond the numbers, the flawless and thrilling nature of her victories are a sight to behold.

Correia’s attempt to lure Rousey into a slugfest failed miserably. She ate a massive shot to the temple just seconds into the fight and went crashing to the ground.

It was another remarkable performance for the UFC’s most dominant champion and again raised questions about who can test, let alone dethrone, “Rowdy.”

For more on UFC 190, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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