Can Ronda do it again?

I don’t know if this is truly a hot period for the UFC, but after UFC 189 and last weekend’s FOX show, you have to admit that business has been very strong of late. In fact, the only thing keeping business strong might be the fact that UFC 190 is in Brazil rather than in Las Vegas. The only thing keeping UFC 190 from being a fairly huge show is the lack of US sports media covering it because it’s abroad.

The Ronda/Bethe portion of the Countdown to UFC 190 special was excellent in getting over a real grudge between the two women. And it’s not only Ronda’s doing. While Ronda has created the grudge, Bethe did her job better than any of Ronda’s other opponents save Miesha Tate.

In addition to the FGB crew, included in our picks are John LaRocca, president of Premier Wrestling, the hardest working woman in MMA, Heidi Fang, and our jiu-jitsu expert, Alex Goff.

Here’s how we’re doing so far:

Alan: 39-17
John: 37-19
Duan: 36-20
Jim: 36-20
Heidi: 32-24
GG: 31-25
Alex: 30-26

Here’s our UFC 190 preview:

Cláudia Gadelha Vs Jessica Aguilar

Duan: Jessica Aguilar
Alan: Jessica Aguilar
John: Jessica Aguilar
Heidi: Cláudia Gadelha
Alex: Cláudia Gadelha
Jim: Cláudia Gadelha
GG: Jessica Aguilar

Antônio Silva Vs Soa Palelei

Duan: Soa Palelei
Alan: Soa Palelei
John: Soa Palelei
Heidi: Soa Palelei
Alex: Antônio Silva
Jim: Soa Palelei
GG: Soa Palelei

Stefan Struve Vs Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

Duan: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
Alan: Stefan Struve
John: Stefan Struve
Heidi: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
Alex: Stefan Struve
Jim: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira
GG: Stefan Struve

Maurício Rua Vs Antônio Rogério Nogueira

Duan: Antônio Rogério Nogueira
Alan: Antônio Rogério Nogueira
John: Maurício Rua
Heidi: Maurício Rua
Alex: Maurício Rua
Jim: Maurício Rua
GG: Maurício Rua

Ronda Rousey Vs Bethe Correia

Duan: Ronda Rousey by 1st round submission
My pick isn’t changing until we see some indication that Ronda is either slipping or the rest of the division is starting to catch up to her. I have seen no signs on either. Her last two bouts were the easiest wins of her career, and if anything, she looks to be only getting better.

Alan: Ronda Rousey by 1st round submission
Armbar inside of a minute.

Heidi: Ronda Rousey by 1st round submission
Rousey won’t draw this out. I still say she finishes Bethe in quick fashion. No disrespect to Bethe and her skill set, but Rowdy is just that exceptional.

Alex: Ronda Rousey by 1st round submission
I’ve seen Bethe Correia in competitive fights with women who are no where near the class of Ronda Rousey. Ronda Rousey is a technical virtuoso who has an unmatched competitive edge. Good job for Bethe getting in the main event by taking a road that didn’t take you through the class of the division. Now you have the best fighter ever. Something to look for is Bethe being so much shorter than Ronda, so she may be hard to throw.

Jim: Ronda Rousey by 2nd round submission
Until Ronda loses or suffers a serious injury, I don’t know how you can bet against her. She has been nothing but dominant in all of her fights and shows no signs of complacency in her training despite her busy media schedule. The only thing Bethe has working in her favor in this fight is that Ronda has had to travel and perhaps the time change might throw off her body clock a bit. I don’t think it’s enough to make anyone bat an eye.

GG: Ronda Rousey by 1st round submission
I don’t believe in Ronda calling her shot and saying she wanted to punish Bethe and not finish her early. I think she’s far too instinctual to do that. The second she sees an opening, she’s going to go for it and try to finish.

For Bethe, her best bet is to try and win the striking battle early. But that’s an issue in of itself. If she doesn’t knock her out early, Rousey will skip the standing part of the battle and immediately try to get her on the ground. So even if Bethe does win the standing game, she doesn’t have much time to win the fight. I think she has to ring her bell very quickly and pounce. If I could predict that, I’d buy some lotto tickets. So I think Ronda wins in the same way that she always does.

John: Ronda Rousey