BRUTALLY FRANK BETHE

Brazilian says Holly is ‘overrated’

BRAZILIAN mixed martial arts (MMA) exponent Bethe Correia believes her UFC Fight Night 111 opponent Holly Holm is “overrated” and she means it in the nicest possible way.

Bethe will want to prove her words when she battles Holly on June 17 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium

“I really believe in what I said about Holly and how she’s overrated because people put her up and it’s not what her performance shows,” said Bethe.

“I know that some people are bothered by what I said about Holly but I was just trying to be honest and not trying to provoke her in any way.”

Bethe is set to face former UFC Women Bantamweight champion Holly in the main event in Singapore on June 17.

Holly is riding a three-fight losing streak after being beaten by Miesha Tate at UFC 196, Valentina Shevchenko and by Germaine de Randamie (featherweight) but made a name for herself when she beat former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who was on a 12-consecutive winning run.

Bethe, on the other hand, is on 4-2-1 in her last UFC fights. Her 34-second defeat to Ronda at the UFC 190 was one of the biggest fights of 2015 which put a dent in Bethe’s undefeated start to her career.

Bethe and Holly are both boxing specialists but the 33-yearold is convinced her skills are better than Holly.

“I really trust my own boxing skills and I believe that my skills are better than Holly.

“I have a great technique in mind and whatever it is will move forward and not stand around until I beat Holly, plus I will not change my game plan just because of Holly’s strengths.”

This is Bethe’s first shot at the title and she would like to win it for the fans due to their undying support and heartfelt messages on her social media pages that will give her an extra jolt going into the fight with Holly.

Bethe won six straight fights in 13 months before being signed to the UFC in 2013, making her the third Brazilian woman to join the outfits.