Ronda Rousey wants to fight Bethe Correia in Brazil, says Sara McMann was toughest foe

Ronda Rousey doesn't just want to fight Bethe Correia. She wants to do it in her rival's home country.

"I would love to fight Bethe in Brazil," Rousey told reporters Saturday night during the UFC Fight Night: "Bigfoot" vs. Arlovski card in Brasilia (h/t MMA Fighting). "I think that would be an event."

The Correia bout is appealing to Rousey because of the way the Brazilian has played it up. After Correia beat Rousey's teammate and close friend Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172 in April, Correia made a gesture calling out the women's bantamweight champion and her training partners.

Rousey, Duke, Shayna Baszler and Marina Shafir refer to themselves as "The Four Horsewomen" as an homage to the infamous pro-wrestling group. Correia put up four fingers after beating Duke and then put down another. She then said in interviews she was coming for the rest of the women, with Rousey as her ultimate goal.

Correia doubled down again when she beat Baszler last month at UFC 177. Rousey appreciates that trash talk, because it's something she does so well.

"I'm glad that the girls are taking the hint and making themselves more interesting for the fans," Rousey said. "I think that storylines and that back story is extremely important. It becomes more than just who is athletically better, it becomes who is right."

If Rousey (10-0) had to choose, though, she would not fight Correia next. She would prefer to meet Cat Zingano or Gina Carano, Rousey said. Rousey's target date for a return is UFC 182 on Jan. 3 in Las Vegas, an event headlined by Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier fighting for the light heavyweight title.

Zingano fights in two weeks, so it's unclear if she would be ready for early January if she beats Amanda Nunes. Carano is still not signed to the UFC roster and we really don't how much she has been training. The Hollywood actress hasn't competed in MMA since 2009.

That could leave Correia as Rousey's most realistic next opponent if she is set on Jan. 3, though it seems like Rousey would want to wait for the Correia bout to happen in Brazil.

"I definitely think that she's ready to challenge me," Rousey said. "I think that she's one of the best in the division. She's a top contender."

Rousey, 27, was also asked who her toughest opponent was and her answer was a bit of a surprise: Sara McMann. Only one woman has ever taken Rousey out of the first round and that was Miesha Tate. Liz Carmouche nearly finished Rousey with a neck crank in the women's bantamweight division's UFC debut. But it was McMann who impressed her the most, despite Rousey knocking her out with a knee to the liver in just 66 seconds.

"I think she was the most physically strong one," Rousey said. "If she hadn’t gotten knocked down from that liver strike in the very beginning, I think it would have been a much tougher fight."

Rousey fought McMann at UFC 170 back in February and the two exchanged punches before Rousey pushed McMann up against the cage, leading to the finish.

"Within the short period of time I fought McMann, I took a lot more damage than I did with anybody else," Rousey said.

It's unclear whether any of the prospective challengers -- Correia, Zingano and Carano -- could push Rousey hard and actually threaten her. But Correia has definitely done the most with her mouth and that counts for something.

"I think it's very smart what she's doing," Rousey said with a smirk. "She's not going to get away with it, but it's very intelligent."