Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia: A Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Ronda Rousey returns to action this Saturday at UFC 190 in Brazil. The bantamweight champion squares off against No. 7-ranked contender Bethe Correia.

Correia talked herself into this fight. She defeated Jessamyn Duke, a friend of Rousey's, and immediately began calling out the champion. Instead, the UFC pitted her against another friend of Rousey's, Shayna Baszler, which resulted in another win for Correia.

After Rousey's swift victories over Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano, there were not many options, and so the brash Brazilian got her shot at gold.

Trash-talking pays off.

Not many believe Correia has a shot, as Rousey is a minus-1,400 favorite on Odds Shark. But does the Brazilian have a chance to stun the world? That's what we will look at in this head-to-toe breakdown of UFC 190's main event.

Rousey's striking has always been a talking point. When she was coming up in the ranks, many questioned if she had any of those tools in her kit. She never showed them off because her fights were quick and always ended with an armbar.

When she did start to display her boxing in training clips, it was critiqued heavily, and skepticism still reigned because she didn't utilize it in her fights. However, recent outings have proved she is a competent striker.

Correia's striking will be her best chance to win. She does have some power, but she only has two TKO victories to her name. She was unable to stop Duke in their fight at UFC 172, and Duke is not a good fighter.

The numbers, provided by FightMetric, show Rousey to be the better striker. She is more accurate and absorbs fewer strikes. The film tells you she is a much better striker than the Brazilian as well. The champ's technique has consistently improved, and her hand speed allows her to generate a lot of power. Her power is not greatly respected right now, but it should be.

Both the numbers and the film indicate that Rousey is the better striker.

Edge: Rousey

Grappling and submissions are usually separated in these breakdowns. In MMA terms, they are often different due to tactics in the clinch and wrestlers trying to maintain position or go after the ground-and-pound. However, Rousey's fighting style make it is easier to combine them.

She blends them seamlessly. Whether she uses her judo to throw and then armbar her opponents or she easily wins a scramble, she is constantly attacking.

Correia is not a great grappler. She needs to stay away from that aspect of Rousey's game for as long as she can. If the champion gets in close, she will toss Correia like a rag doll and dominate her on the canvas.

This isn't even close. Rousey is far superior to Correia in nearly every facet of grappling.

Edge: Rousey

Correia's X-Factor: Landing Clean Strikes

As mentioned in the striking slide, Correia is not a better striker than Rousey. Regardless, she does have some power in her hands and feet. Her X-factor in this fight will be her ability to land clean strikes.

We have seen Rousey's opponents try to keep their distance, and that has failed. We have seen her opponents rush in and get beaten quickly. There is no blueprint Rousey's opponents can look to when preparing to fight her. They have to guess. And Correia has no exceptional aspects to her game.

Rousey may stand and exchange, and that will give Correia a brief opportunity to land something. If she does, she may at least stun the champion.

Rousey's X-Factor: Anger

Correia made this personal, and Rousey has vowed to extend this fight so that she can punish her. Rousey's aggression may be the only chance Correia has.

We have seen it time and again in combat sports: When fighters get too angry, they make mistakes. This has never appeared to be much of a problem for Rousey. She was able to curb her emotions against heated rival Miesha Tate, but there is a first time for everything.

Allowing anger and aggression to cloud her judgment is just about the only way Rousey could end up on the losing end of this fight.

Most people don't foresee Correia winning this fight. There is nothing about her game to indicate that she has a legitimate chance. At the very least, in Matt Serra's matchup with Georges St-Pierre, one could point to Serra's one-punch knockout ability or his good jiu-jitsu.

Correia has neither.

Rousey is going to beat on Correia. The question is for how long?

Rousey may sense victory and back off the gas pedal a bit to extend the punishment. That is why I don't think she will go for an early submission. At the end of the day, there is a referee in the cage to protect the fighter. Whoever is in the cage will end up saving Correia before Rousey finishes what she wants to do.

The champion may be disappointed.

Rousey is going to dominate Correia in such a fashion that the referee will have to intervene during the first round. Correia will not be able to defend herself sufficiently while Rousey does whatever she pleases. It won't be competitive in the slightest.

This will be win No. 12 for the champion. The trilogy with Tate will be on deck.

Prediction: Rousey defeats Correia by TKO in the first round.