Bethe Correira outworked Jessamyn Duke en route to a decision victory at UFC 172, and her post-fight hand gesture has earned her a shot at another one of the self-styled Four Horsewomen. At UFC 176, Bethe “Pitbull” will step into the Octagon with WMMA pioneer, “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler.
Grant Gordon, of the LA Times and Glendale News-Press, broke the story earlier today. This was later confirmed by the UFC via their @UFCNews Twitter account.
Correira (8-0) entered the UFC strong, using a high-output style to garner a split decision victory over the now-retired Julie Kedzie. Following that, “Pitbull,” who trains with Bellator stars Patricio and Patricky Friere, would then use her pace and volume striking to garner a decision victory over TUF 18 cast member Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172. Will she be able to knock off a second Horsewoman in Baszler en route to a potential shot at Ronda Rousey’s women’s bantamweight crown?
“The Queen of Spades” (15-8) did not endear herself to a lot of casual fans with her attitude on TUF 18, and subsequent loss to that season’s surprise winner, Julianna Pena, in the quarterfinals. Won or lost fans didn’t matter to her though, as the WMMA pioneer was able to bond with her head coach, Ronda Rousey, and plant the seeds of what would become a small, tightly knit fight team: The Four Horsewomen. After losing out on her initial debut fight with Sarah Kaufman at the TUF: Nations Finale due to injury, Baszler will be looking to not only win her first UFC bout, but also send a message to the rising prospect. Will she be able to deliver that message as intended?
UFC 176 goes down on August 2nd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The main event is a UFC Featherweight Title rematch pitting the buzzsaw-like champion, Jose Aldo, against redemption-seeking challenger Chad Mendes. Stay tuned to MMASucka.com for more on this and other events.
