Bethe Correia is focused on stating a case for a title shot when she squares off with Marion Reneau this Saturday on UFC Fight Night 106 at Centro de Formação Olímpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil.
Correia has previously fought for the UFC bantamweight title, in a 34-second loss to previous titleholder Ronda Rousey at UFC 190 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. While her first pop at championship status did not go according to plan, Correia still believes in her abilities to challenge the cream of the women’s 135-pound division (via MMAJunkie):
“I think the UFC will be watching me to put me atop the contender list,” Correia said. “And I want to fight for the belt still this year.”
First things first will be the mantra for the Brazilian, as she must first see past Reneau in order to stake a claim to the division’s gold. A performance bonus, Correia says, is also something she is intent on capturing:
“I want a performance bonus,” Correia told MMAjunkie. “I see people winning that, I see that in their resumes, and I still don’t have one. It’s a vanity thing. I want to be able to be take pride in that, ‘I won too, I did an incredible fight, they loved my performance.’
“(Reneau) really throws herself into the fights. She’s tough, resistant, experienced. If you get a fight that’s too uneven, it’s too easy, it won’t make for a good performance. But if you manage to put on an incredible fight against a good opponent, then you really stand out.”
Correia is a realist and understands that her aggressive approach to addressing her opponents and her fights has not always endeared fans to her nature:
“If I have to say something, I will, and maybe that comes back to bite me in the ass, I’ll admit it and move on. It’s no easy, because you get criticized a lot. I get so much criticism, sometimes so offensive, that it’s sometimes painful to hear.
“I think fans have the right to their opinions,” Correia added. “And it’s up to me to change them. I always want to win over the fans, always.”
