Ronda Rousey dedicates UFC 190 to ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper

RONDA Rousey will have extra motivation heading into her title fight against Bethe Correia, which promises to be a contest you won’t want to miss.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 31: UFC Strawweight Champion Ronda Rousey of the United States poses for photographers during the UFC 190 Rousey v Correia weigh-in at HSBC Arena on July 31, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

RONDA Rousey says she will be fighting for the late Roddy Piper, the Hall of Fame wrestler who gave her his “Rowdy” nickname.

Not long after WWE confirmed Piper’s death on Friday, Rousey posted a photo of him on her Instagram account and said “this one’s for you Roddy...”

The unbeaten bantamweight champion will fight Brazilian challenger Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

Rousey said she “will do it justice and do you proud.”

The biggest star in UFC, Rousey thanked Piper “for the name... and so much more.”

At the beginning of her UFC career, Rousey allegedly asked Piper if she could adopt his stage name “Rowdy”. The Canadian agreed, giving Ronda her iconic tag line.

CAPTION: “Thank you for the name.... And so much more.... Will do it justice and do you proud tomorrow.... This one’s for you Roddy....”

Rousey had said several times that Piper was one of her greatest idols.

Piper was one of the biggest wrestling stars of the 1980s and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Piper is reported to have passed away from a heart attack on Saturday, aged 61 years old.

The Rousey v Correia fight has had one of the most tension-filled lead-ups of any of Rousey’s fights, with reports the two fighters actively dislike each other.

Rousey has said that her fight against Correia is her most personal battle yet, following Correia’s suicide slur in May this year.

Rousey’s father committed suicide when she was eight years old, making the subject a very touchy one for the 28-year-old.

When Correia made the controversial comment to Brazilian news outlet Combate, Rousey took offence.

“When she feels my pressure, I want to see her reaction. She is not mentally healthy. She needs to take care of herself. She is winning, so everybody is around her cheering her up, but when she realises she is not everything that she believes she is, I don’t know what might happen. I hope she does not kill herself later on [laughs],” the Brazilian said.

Correia later apologised to the current women’s bantamweight champion on Twitter but, unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

@RondaRousey Never knew what happened to ur dad.I'm humble enough to ask u for forgiveness. Family is a godly bless to me. See u in #UFC190

— Bethe (@bethecorreia) May 28, 2015

“This is definitely the most personal fight I’ve ever had — making such tasteless remarks about suicide when she knows how it has effected me in my past. Then her completely disingenuous apology after, which wasn’t even an apology. She just complemented herself by calling herself humble and asked for forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness is not an apology,” Rousey said at a recent press conference.

The pair made headlines earlier this week after their intense weigh-in reignited the spark in this furious rivalry.

Rousey has promised to make her battle with Correia as painful as possible.

UFC 190 will screen live on Main Event today from 12pm (midday) AEST

— with AP

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