Bethe Correia meets next of 'Four Horsewomen,' Shayna Baszler, at UFC 176
Bethe Correia used one hand to ask. Now she shall receive.
Following a unanimous decision win over Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172 nine days ago, Correia (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will try to make it two for two against “The Four Horsewomen†in a women’s bantamweight fight against Shayna Baszler (15-8 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 176 this summer.
UFC officials announced the new fight booking on Monday.
UFC 176 takes place Aug. 2 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The pay-per-view main card will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and top contender Chad Mendes, a rematch from UFC 142, when Aldo won by first-round knockout.
After topping Duke at UFC 172, Correia, from Brazil, held up four fingers to indicate “The Four Horsewomen,†then lowered one to signal her victory over the first of them. The crew is led by UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and includes Duke and Baszler, whom she coached on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,†and Marina Shafir, who recently turned pro.
After the fight, Correia told MMAjunkie that Rousey, who helped corner Duke, turned and walked away from her following the fight rather than offer her any congratulations. Now the two likely will meet again at the Correia-Baszler fight.
“Jessamyn is one of ‘The Four Horsewomen.’ I defeated her, and I did that in case I face any of the others, whom I’ll also defeat,†Correia told MMAjunkie following her win over Duke.
Correia remained unbeaten with her win over Duke, which was a unanimous decision. In her UFC debut, which was her first fight in the UFC, she took a split decision from Julie Kedzie in December in Australia.
Baszler will be making her official UFC debut. She was scheduled to fight Sarah Kaufman in April at the TUF Nations Finale in Canada, but had to pull out of the fight with an injury. On “TUF 18,†she was Rousey’s first pick after winning her elimination fight to get into the house, but lost in the second round to eventual winner Julianna Pena in her first fight. Prior to coming to the UFC, the “Queen of Spades†went 1-2 under the Invicta FC banner with losses to current UFC roster members Alexis Davis, whom Rousey faces in July, and Sara McMann, whom Rousey just beat in February.
