A fight nearly two years in the making, Cat Zingano finally gets her opportunity to fight for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship. The long-time number one contender has overcome multiple obstacles and even personal tragedy on the road to her shot at the gold, but may have saved her toughest challenge for last: The seemingly unstoppable champion, undefeated judoka superstar Ronda Rousey.
Make no mistake, in Zingano, Rousey also faces a serious challenge as she aims to once again defend her title. Zingano too is undefeated, boasting eight finishes with just one fight going the distance over the course of her 9 fight, 5 year professional fighting career. This experience, coupled with a well rounded skillset, arguably makes ‘Alpha’ the most well rounded fighter Rousey has faced to date.
Well-versed in the arts of grappling, submissions and striking, Zingano has demonstrated her considerable talents in these areas en-route to her title shot. An excellent third round stoppage of consensus No. 2 ranked contender Miesha Tate back in 2013, and a similarly impressive comeback victory over Brazilian prospect Amanda Nunes cemented her shot as the next challenger for Rousey’s title. Also possessing a study chin, and buckets of determination, Zingano has all the tools required to beat almost anyone in the division.
Unfortunately for her, Ronda Rousey is not just anyone; she might just be the deadliest fighter in the world...maybe even in women’s combat history.
A former Olympic bronze medallist in judo, Rousey bought her unrivalled skills to the sport of MMA in 2011, and has dominated the scene ever since with her arsenal of powerful throws and, most significantly, her devastating armbar. In her relatively short career, the champion has finished every single fight, with all but one going past the opening round. Realising the need to develop beyond her elite grappling skills, ‘Rowdy’ has also made significant improvements to her striking, transforming her into a more complete fighter, and an even more terrifying proposition for anyone hoping to challenge for her title.
Toughness and determination are Zingano’s key tools here, and she’ll definitely need it considering her preferred fight style, fighting in the clinch, is exactly what Rousey will look for if she intends to take the fight to the ground. Rousey’s improved striking will also pose a puzzle for the challenger, so ‘Alpha’ will need to ensure that she is careful when attempting to rush in with her own offence.
With superlatives like “Best female fighter of all time” and “Most dangerous female on the planet” being thrown at her almost on a daily basis, it’s easy to see where Rousey’s confidence is coming from. While I believe that ‘Rowdy’ is indeed the best women’s fighter competing today, pride often comes before the fall. The only way the champion will lose her title is if she underestimates her opponent, but looking at the challengers she has handedly dispatched so far, it’s almost unthinkable that this will happen.
Prediction: Zingano will become only the second women to take Rousey past the opening round, and will land shots on the champion, but her toughness will be pushed to the limit, ultimately succumbing to the armbar.
UFC 184 Main Card Predictions - Picks in bold:
Lightweight - Tony Ferguson vs. Gleison Tibau
Welterweight - Alan Jouban vs. Richard Walsh
Welterweight - Jake Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck
Women’s Bantamweight - Raquel Pennington vs. Holly Holm
Women’s Bantamweight Championship - Ronda Rousey © vs. Cat Zingano
PPV Picks 2015 Record (6-4)
What do you think will happen at UFC 184?
Well-versed in the arts of grappling, submissions and striking, Zingano has demonstrated her considerable talents in these areas en-route to her title shot. An excellent third round stoppage of consensus No. 2 ranked contender Miesha Tate back in 2013, and a similarly impressive comeback victory over Brazilian prospect Amanda Nunes cemented her shot as the next challenger for Rousey’s title. Also possessing a study chin, and buckets of determination, Zingano has all the tools required to beat almost anyone in the division.
Unfortunately for her, Ronda Rousey is not just anyone; she might just be the deadliest fighter in the world...maybe even in women’s combat history.
A former Olympic bronze medallist in judo, Rousey bought her unrivalled skills to the sport of MMA in 2011, and has dominated the scene ever since with her arsenal of powerful throws and, most significantly, her devastating armbar. In her relatively short career, the champion has finished every single fight, with all but one going past the opening round. Realising the need to develop beyond her elite grappling skills, ‘Rowdy’ has also made significant improvements to her striking, transforming her into a more complete fighter, and an even more terrifying proposition for anyone hoping to challenge for her title.
Toughness and determination are Zingano’s key tools here, and she’ll definitely need it considering her preferred fight style, fighting in the clinch, is exactly what Rousey will look for if she intends to take the fight to the ground. Rousey’s improved striking will also pose a puzzle for the challenger, so ‘Alpha’ will need to ensure that she is careful when attempting to rush in with her own offence.
With superlatives like “Best female fighter of all time” and “Most dangerous female on the planet” being thrown at her almost on a daily basis, it’s easy to see where Rousey’s confidence is coming from. While I believe that ‘Rowdy’ is indeed the best women’s fighter competing today, pride often comes before the fall. The only way the champion will lose her title is if she underestimates her opponent, but looking at the challengers she has handedly dispatched so far, it’s almost unthinkable that this will happen.
Prediction: Zingano will become only the second women to take Rousey past the opening round, and will land shots on the champion, but her toughness will be pushed to the limit, ultimately succumbing to the armbar.
UFC 184 Main Card Predictions - Picks in bold:
Lightweight - Tony Ferguson vs. Gleison Tibau
Welterweight - Alan Jouban vs. Richard Walsh
Welterweight - Jake Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck
Women’s Bantamweight - Raquel Pennington vs. Holly Holm
Women’s Bantamweight Championship - Ronda Rousey © vs. Cat Zingano
PPV Picks 2015 Record (6-4)
What do you think will happen at UFC 184?