Introduction
UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia. August 1, 2015. HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ronda Rousey stopped Bethe Correia with punches 34 seconds into round one to retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. It was her third consecutive win in under one minute (Cat Zingano: 14 seconds; Alexis Davis: 16 seconds). The 14,723 in attendance were overwhelmingly pro-Correia; they left in near silence.
Correia had said ‘Don’t cry’ to Rousey during the weigh-in staredown, alluding to comments Rousey had made about a difficult period in her personal life. After the KO, Rousey stood over Correia and reportedly whispered the same words back. Post-fight, Rousey dedicated the victory to ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, the WWE Hall of Famer who had died the day before on August 1, and to her own father. She called out Holly Holm as her next opponent.
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua defeated Antônio Rogério Nogueira in the co-main event by unanimous decision (29-28 x3) in a rematch of their 2005 PRIDE FC bout — the coaches’ fight for TUF Brazil 4. Demian Maia submitted Neil Magny for a Performance of the Night bonus.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Quick Stats
3. The Build-Up
4. Main Event
5. Co-Main Event
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
11. References
Quick Stats
Date: August 1, 2015
Venue: HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Attendance: 14,723 (sold out; pro-Correia crowd)
Main Event: Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Bethe Correia — UFC WBW Championship
Result: Rousey def. Correia — KO (Punches) R1, 0:34 — 6th WBW title defence; third straight win in under 1 minute
Notable: ‘Don’t cry’ Correia weigh-in taunt; Rousey reportedly whispered same words back after KO; Roddy Piper tribute (died August 1); Rousey called out Holly Holm
Co-Main: Shogun Rua def. Nogueira UD (29-28 x3) — LHW; FOTN; rematch of 2005 PRIDE classic; TUF Brazil 4 coaches fight
Bonuses: FOTN: Shogun/Nogueira ($50k each); POTN: Rousey + Demian Maia ($50k each)
The Build-Up
Correia had entered the fight 9-0, with her team publicly targeting Rousey’s personal life as a psychological weapon. At the final press conference on July 30, she continued the taunts, calling Rousey ‘all hype.’ At the weigh-in, the most quoted exchange: Correia said ‘Don’t cry’ to Rousey during their staredown — a reference to Rousey’s past statements about suicidal ideation after a difficult period in her career. Rousey said nothing in response.
The fight was held in Rio, Correia’s country. Rousey was the international villain in a hostile HSBC Arena. Of all the promotional dynamics Rousey had navigated in her title reign, this was the most openly antagonistic crowd she had faced. The WBW division had no one who could threaten her. The narrative was whether anyone could even make it close.
Main Event
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Bethe Correia — UFC WBW Championship
Rousey advanced immediately, throwing punches. Correia tried to clinch. Rousey forced Correia back toward the cage with a combination to the body and head. She landed uppercuts. Correia tried to circle away. A right hand from Rousey connected to the temple. Correia’s legs buckled. Rousey followed with a left that sent Correia face-first to the canvas. The referee waved it off at 0:34.
After the stoppage, Rousey stood over Correia for a moment before the referee intervened. She reportedly whispered ‘Don’t cry’. Post-fight, she addressed the Brazilian crowd, dedicated the win to Roddy Piper (who died that morning) and her father, and named Holly Holm as her desired next opponent.
Co-Main Event
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira — Light Heavyweight
Shogun Rua and Rogério Nogueira had previously fought at PRIDE FC in 2005, with Shogun winning by UD in a fight considered a LHW classic. A decade later, both were past their prime but the crowd treated it as a reunion of Brazilian MMA royalty. Shogun controlled with body kicks and survived an early scare from a left hand by Nogueira in round one. He scored a takedown in round two and maintained control with body kicks through round three. All three judges gave it 29-28 to Shogun.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Warlley Alves def. Nordine Taleb — Sub (guillotine) — R2, 4:11 — WW
Patrick Cummins def. Rafael Cavalcante — TKO (elbows) — R3, 0:45 — LHW
Claudia Gadelha def. Jessica Aguilar — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27 x3) — WSW
Demian Maia def. Neil Magny — Sub (rear-naked choke) — R2, 2:52 — WW; POTN ($50k)
Antonio Bigfoot Silva def. Soa Palelei — TKO (punches) — R2, 0:41 — HW
Stefan Struve def. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27 x3) — HW; effectively Big Nog’s final UFC fight
TUF Brazil 4 Finals
Glaico França def. Fernando Bruno — Sub (rear-naked choke) — R3, 4:46 — TUF Brazil 4 LW final
Reginaldo Vieira def. Dileno Lopes — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) — TUF Brazil 4 BW final
Main Card
Mauricio Shogun Rua def. Antônio Rogério Nogueira — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (29-28 x3) — LHW; Co-Main; FOTN ($50k each); rematch of 2005 PRIDE classic
Ronda Rousey def. Bethe Correia — KO (punches) — R1, 0:34 — WBW Championship; Main Event; POTN ($50k); third straight win in under 1 min
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Mauricio Shogun Rua vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira — $50,000 to each fighter.
Performance of the Night: Ronda Rousey + Demian Maia — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
Ronda Rousey — third consecutive win in under one minute. Combined fight time for wins over Zingano (14s) and Correia (34s): 48 seconds total across two title fights. At 12-0, she had finished all 12 opponents.
Stefan Struve def. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira — effectively ended one of the sport’s most storied careers. Big Nog announced his retirement from MMA shortly after UFC 190.
Rousey’s next fight (UFC 193 on November 14, 2015) was against Holly Holm. Holm stopped Rousey with a head-kick TKO in round two in Melbourne — the biggest upset in women’s MMA history.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 190 is the last image of Ronda Rousey at her peak. In a hostile Brazilian arena against a challenger who had tried to use personal grief as a weapon, Rousey delivered the cleanest kind of answer: 34 seconds of complete dominance, delivered in the challenger’s home country, to a crowd that wanted the opposite outcome. And then she whispered ‘Don’t cry’ and walked away.
Three months later, Holly Holm ended the reign entirely at UFC 193 in Melbourne. The fighter Rousey had called out at the post-fight press conference, the one she had been eager to fight, was the one who stopped her.
FAQ
What was the significance of the ‘Don’t cry’ moment at UFC 190?
At the weigh-in, Correia said ‘Don’t cry’ to Rousey during their faceoff, referencing Rousey’s past public statements about suicidal ideation during a difficult period after an early career loss. After the 34-second KO, Rousey stood over Correia and reportedly whispered the same words back.
Who did Rousey dedicate her UFC 190 win to?
Rousey dedicated the win to ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper — the WWE and WCW wrestling legend who died on August 1, 2015, the same day as UFC 190. She also dedicated it to her father, who died when she was young.
What happened in the Shogun Rua vs. Nogueira co-main event?
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua beat Antônio Rogério Nogueira by unanimous decision (29-28 on all three cards) in a rematch of their 2005 PRIDE bout. The fight earned Fight of the Night honours and was contested between the two coaches of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4.
Was UFC 190 Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira’s last fight?
Effectively, yes. ‘Big Nog’ lost to Stefan Struve by unanimous decision at UFC 190 and announced his retirement from MMA not long afterward, making this his final UFC appearance.
What happened next for Rousey after UFC 190?
Rousey called out Holly Holm in her post-fight interview and the two met at UFC 193 in Melbourne on November 14, 2015. Holm stopped Rousey with a second-round head kick in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.