After recently snapping a two-fight skid with a close split call over Jessica Eye, Bethe Correia doesn’t see herself too far from title contention.

Set to face Marion Reneau (7-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in a home-country bantamweight scrap at UFC Fight Night 106, Correia (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) said the division’s “volatile” scenario means that a solid display on March 11 leaves her close to a second stab at the belt that she unsuccessfully challenged for once, against Ronda Rousey, in 2015.

“I think if I put on a good fight in Fortaleza, I’m well-positioned,” Correia told MMAjunkie

But, before even thinking that far, she knows needs to beat Reneau, which she intends to do in statement-making fashion.

“(Reneau) really asked to fight me, and I think she got into the biggest trouble of her life,” Correia said. “I’ll fight focused on me. I’m fighting focused on taking the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. She has good muay Thai, good ground, but I’m prepared to really knock her out, land heavy hands, and get the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.

“(The fans) can expect a knockout. That’s what they can expect on March 11, and for me to put on the best fight of my life.”

UFC Fight Night 106 takes place at Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. The card airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass, though the bout order hasn’t been finalized.

The way Correia’s first UFC title shot unfolded was far from ideal. After an aggressive – and often-personal – promotion for UFC 190’s headlining spot in Rio de Janeiro, Rousey needed little more than 30 seconds to knock out her Brazilian challenger and defend her belt for the sixth time.

That turned out to be Rousey’s (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) last win. The ex-champ went on to lose the title to Holly Holm and, more recently, suffer a devastating knockout defeat to current champ Amanda Nunes  (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in the first round of UFC 207’s headliner.

Correia, who’s made her feelings about Rousey very clear in the past, is still not about to jump on the Rousey bandwagon. But, having been through a heartbreaking loss herself, she couldn’t help but feel for the former champ after her most recent setback.

“I think Ronda has a weak mindset,” Correia said. “She’s vain, and when she lost to Holly, I thought she could even retire. She returned, and I think she didn’t return well. Her vanity got in the way a little bit, but I also didn’t think she’d lose the way that she did.

“But I felt her loss a little, because I saw myself there. It was very similar to mine. And I know that’s not all that she is, the same way I’m not what they saw against Ronda. It was a very tough moment of my life, and with her, I think it was probably similar.”

As for the defending champ and fellow countrywoman Nunes, Correia is not too impressed either. While she acknowledges Nunes’ achievements in the division, she doesn’t see her reign going on for too long.

“Amanda, I think she’s a great athlete,” Correia said. “But I don’t see her like an Anderson Silva (an ex-middleweight champ who still holds the UFC record with 10 consecutive title defenses), winning for years and years. Our division is very even, it has very tough girls, and there were girls who gave her a hard time. Cat Zingano gave her a beating.

“You see, Amanda is very good in the first round, but loses a lot of steam when it goes past the first. It’s hard for me to say that she’s the best because I feel I’m better than any girl in the bantamweight division. But I recognize she did a good job.”