A torn ACL has forced unbeaten bantamweight “Alpha” Cat Zingano out of her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship fight against fellow TUF 18 coach “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Yahoo! Sports first reported on Zingano’s injury this evening. She is expected to be sidelined for up to nine months.
Miesha “Cupcake” Tate, who was stopped by Zingano in April, has stepped in to coach opposite Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter 18, which began filming today. Tate and Rousey, who first met for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title in March 2012, will face off once again later this year.
Tate (13-4-0) got off to a strong start in her title eliminator bout against Zingano at the TUF 17 Finale on April 13th and she appeared to be up two rounds to none after ten minutes. However, Zingano came on strong in the final round and finished the former Strikeforce champion with a barrage of knees and a standing elbow to earn her coaching spot on TUF 18. As a result of Zingano’s untimely injury, Tate, who was originally scheduled to face Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche at UFC on FOX 8 in July, now receives a second chance at becoming a UFC champion.
Rousey (7-0-0) has become one of MMA’s most popular fighters thanks to her outspoken personality and slick submission game, which has yielded first-round armbar wins in all ten of her pro and amateur fights. The 2008 Olympic bronze medallist judoka first captured the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship from Tate in 2012 and she successfully defended the title against Sarah Kaufman before transitioning to the UFC. In the first female fight in UFC Octagon history, Rousey rallied back from early danger and submitted Carmouche at UFC 157 in February.
The Rousey-Tate rematch comes with a built-in storyline, as the heated rivals have made no secret of their dislike for one another. However, with the revised fight booking, Tate now becomes the fourth UFC fighter in 2013 to receive a title shot following a loss. She will have months to prepare for her rematch with Rousey, and the fight is expected to take place in November or December.
(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com / InvictaFC.com)
I wish it were Cat vs Ronda… I think Ronda would win, even though I’d be rooting for Cat. Miesha took Cat down quite easily a few times… and I don’t think anyone wants to be in that position against Ronda…
Sara McMann would be a better replacement and could give trouble to Ronda. She has been tapped out professionally only once.
As to Ronda vs Miesha… meh… whatever. A month ago I’d be rooting for Miesha, until the Caraway / Cat elbow incident came out.
Now, I don’t care.
[…] booked to face former Strikeforce champ Miesha “Cupcake” Tate in July, but Tate was removed from the card and installed as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 18 after “Alpha” Cat Zingano sustained […]