Irene Aldana Prepared for Aggressive Bethe Correia

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight and Mexico native Irene Aldana is grateful for the humbling experience of losing her Octagon debut to Leslie Smith back in December 2017. Not only did it push her to train harder, but it also served to make her stronger.

That strength was summoned just last September in a match against Lucie Pudilova, where Aldana, 31, reveals to Fernanda Prates of MMA Junkie that she suffered not only a broken hand in round one but also the loss of her vision in round three.

"I didn't see anything with my eyes," Aldana confesses cheerfully. But facing Pudilova with a broken hand and impaired vision proved to Aldana something she hadn't yet learned — that she has what it takes to fight under injurious conditions.

Aldana (9-4) will be tested once again this Saturday at UFC 237 against Bethe "Pitbull" Correia. Facing Correia on the Brazilian's home turf, Aldana is well aware of the scrapper's antagonistic personality. "I know she is aggressive. She is verbally and physically aggressive, so I'm prepared for that, and I'm glad she's like that because that's what's gonna make a good fight for the fans."

Asked if she believes a win over the 13th-ranked Correia could fast track her to that coveted number one contender slot, Aldana, currently ranked 11th, asserts that a victory on Saturday would be a "great opportunity to climb to the top five."

But of course, UFC gold is the ultimate objective. She explained that the "final goal is [to] get the title and defend the title as many times as I can." To support her efforts, Aldana even hand made an aluminum foil belt, which she displays in her bedroom, to serve as daily motivation to continue pushing until she reaches the UFC summit.