Bethe Correia
Brazil's Bethe Correia (left) lands a head shot on U.S. fighter Jessamyn Duke during UFC 172 in Baltimore. Correia defeated Duke, and will face Ronda Rousey in Rio de Janiero on Aug. 1. Reuters/Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has inked bantamweight fighter Bethe Correia to an eight-fight deal, securing her future with Dana White’s stable. The Brazilian has just a little over a month before her big showdown with current women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and the development all but assures a prolonged rivalry between the two.

The news was met with enthusiasm by the 31-yeear-old jiu-jitsu fighter and she even took the time to share the news to her fans when she held up a copy of the contract, which she posted in Instagram.

“I am very happy! Through hard work, blood, sweat, punches in the face, and more … I am renewing my contract with UFC for 8 more fights,” she wrote. “I can give my fans at least eight fights on television, and follow my life and my camp for another eight fights. I will give my best ever!”

Correia is the self-proclaimed conqueror of the “Four Horsewomen,” comprised mainly of Rousey’s clique of Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. Rousey, the 28-year-old “Rowdy” champion, is the leader of the pack and took the group’s name from the WWE’s most prominent wrestling stable in the 1990s aptly called, “Four Horsemen,” which was then led by Ric Flair.

Since Correia’s entry into the UFC she has strung up three straight victories, two of which came against Baszler and Duke. She is eyeing Rousey next and has been given the homecourt advantage with the Aug. 1 match taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While Rousey is still heavily favored to come back undefeated, Correia only has to perform well to be granted a second crack at the bantamweight title, which could be one of the fights in her new contract with the UFC.

Rousey and Correia have been trading barbs since the fight was announced by the UFC, with the challenger calling the current queen of UFC a “farce” champion. The back and forth died down a little a bit after the Brazilian contender apparently crossed the line when she predicted that Rousey would commit suicide after the end of her undefeated streak. Correia was apparently unaware that the American judoka’s father died under such circumstances.

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