LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 30: Sara McMann steps on the scale during the UFC 183 weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 30, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Top-five ranked women's bantamweight Sara McMann believes deep down inside that she's the person who will eventually take the title from around Ronda Rousey's waist but doesn't see any other current contender having much of a chance.
Ahead of last weekend's UFC 190 card in Brazil, McMann never thought Bethe Correia had much of a chance to beat Rousey and the fight played out as expected.
McMann says the reality is Correia never actually deserved the shot at Rousey, but beating two of her teammates and making a lot of noise got her the championship bout -- and 34 seconds later the fight was over.
"Even before the fight I didn't think Bethe had very strong chances," McMann told FOX Sports on Thursday. "Basically that's what happens if you talk yourself into a fight that you aren't physically ready for yet. The skill level difference was huge and it showed."
Next up for Rousey is a third fight against Miesha Tate, currently targeted for UFC 194 in December.
Rousey has already faced and submitted Tate on two previous occasions, and McMann doesn't see this one going any differently. She has a unique perspective because she's fought both women inside the Octagon and while McMann would love a rematch against either of them, it's Rousey who still stands as the ultimate prize.
"I think she beat Miesha in their second fight besides the takedown, she beat Miesha in every single position. I trained for and fought both of them, I watched the video, I don't think that Miesha is the same level as Ronda and I've fought them both," McMann said.
"I really don't understand a third fight between them besides the fact Miesha's won some fights in a row and she's very marketable. I mean just being honest, what do you say -- we sure do hope she doesn't get armbarred again?"
McMann specifically looks at the second fight when Tate was able to drag Rousey into the third round, which counts as the only bout during her entire career where the fight went past the initial five minutes.
In the rematch, McMann saw Rousey in control of every position and every second of the fight before putting Tate away with an armbar in the third round. As dominant as Rousey has been dispatching opponents in under a minute, McMann sees her second win over Tate as the most thorough of her career and it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt who was the better fighter.
McMann doesn't see the third fight ending any differently than the first two, and she's honest enough to say that if she ever gets a rematch with Rousey and loses again then she's more than willing to concede who is the superior fighter.
"I'm sorry but after it's happened twice. I wouldn't want another fight against Ronda, if she beat me fair and square, I'd say my hat's off to her, she was better than me," McMann said.
"I don't feel like that with the first fight that we had but I don't think Miesha can say the same thing. She was in tons of positions with her, she went longer with her. Ronda still beat her. I think she's just better."
Don't miss McMann's fight on Saturday night as she faces Amanda Nunes at UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux live on FOX Sports 1.
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