Ronda Rousey told Bethe Correia 'don't cry' after UFC 190 knockout victory

RIO DE JANEIRO – Oftentimes a rivalry will fizzle after two combatants meet inside the octagon. That’s not the case with Ronda Rousey (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and Bethe Correia (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

After her incredible 34-second knockout of Correia in UFC 190’s main event, Rousey rubbed salt in the wound when she turned around and sent a message to Correia, who was unconscious on the mat.

Rousey’s statement was inaudible in real time due to the massive uproar from the crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Following the fight, though, she revealed to MMAjunkie exactly what was said.

“I said the exact same thing she was saying to me at weigh-ins; she was screaming in my face at weigh-ins, she was saying, ‘Don’t cry.’ So, I turned around after I knocked her out and said, ‘Don’t cry,'” Rousey said at UFC 190’s post-fight press conference.

Rousey and Correia exchanged many words in the lead-up to UFC 190. The most personal of those comments, however, was Correia’s suicide-related jab at the champion. “Rowdy” took the comments personally and vowed to defeat Correia in the most devastating fashion possible.

She did just that when a perfectly placed right hand to Correia’s temple sent the Brazilian crashing the mat face first.

“Every fight is a challenge,” Rousey said. “This one was a challenge in its own way. I think one advantage that I do have against a lot of my opponents is they don’t really know what they’re getting into when they come in there. They can watch as much footage as they want but they don’t know what it’s like until they get in there with me.”

Rousey has made it clear her intention is to continue defending her title in spectacular fashion until she decides to retire from the sport. With her third consecutive victory in less than one minute, the champion took another step toward that goal at UFC 190. Still, though, Rousey said there’s plenty more to learn.

“I’m really happy that even though the last three fights were fast, they were finished very differently and I know I made some mistakes tonight and I’m always on the quest to try to be the perfect fighter,” Rousey said. “I know that’s something you can’t really attain, but that’s a goal I’ll never reach that I can always pursue. I just feel like I’m one step closer to retiring undefeated and having a legacy. That’s my goal at this point.”

The next challenge to Rousey’s throne will come against another one of her rivals. A third contest with Miesha Tate is on the horizon after “Cupcake” earned her fourth consecutive UFC victory this past month.

Rousey defeated Tate once under the now-defunct Strikeforce banner and was also victorious in the rematch in December 2013. Although she seemingly has Tate’s number, Rousey said she believes the third bout will be the most difficult yet because Tate has spent more time in the octagon with her than anyone else.

“I think Miesha is one of my greatest challenges because she already has an idea what she’s getting in there with,” Rousey said. “I’ve improved a lot since the last time we fought but I don’t have that element of surprise that I know she’ll bring something different every time. I’m eager to see what she comes up with this time.”

For complete coverage of UFC 190, check out the UFC Events section of the site.