Ronda Rousey’s lopsided victory over Miesha Tate at UFC 168 earned her a spot in the upcoming Strikeforce bantamweight title fight against undefeated challenger, Cat Zingano on February 28th at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Rousey and Zingano’s camps were quick to say that this fight was going to be historic. And that’s exactly what it is. The UFC announced yesterday that the two title fights on that card will be aired for free on the FOX network, something unheard of in combat sports history.
“I think this might very well be a new deal with Fox,” Rousey said after annihilating Tate at UFC 168. “This one feels right, and I really want to give all thanks to my fans and Dana White.”
Historic: 2 huge MMA title fights on broadcast TV
Several days later we’re beginning to get the complete picture of just how big this deal is for Rousey and MMA as a whole, and it has nothing to do with Zingano or her credentials whatsoever. It seems that Rousey-Zingano will also play host to two male title fights live on broadcast television, For the first time in history, a major MMA promotion has ever done something like this.
“It’s historic,” said White during a media teleconference on Friday. “I’m excited for Ronda and I’m excited for Cat and these other two fights we’re doing.”
Cat Zingano
Cat Zingano (8-0) has only fought once since March 2012 and that was her title fight against then-champion, Miesha Tate at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale in April. She won the fight via third-round TKO but ended up tearing both her ACL and meniscus in the process.
“She’s had a few fights but she hasn’t been active,” Rousey said during the same media teleconference when asked about Zingano’s time away from the competition. “But I think it works to my advantage because I’ve been so active, fighting every six weeks for pretty much my whole career.”
Rousey also downplayed any concerns over Zingano not having competed since injuring herself while facing Tate last year.
She said she believed Zingano was ready to go and that it didn’t matter to her either way.
“I’ve been in this position before,” Rousey continued. “I’m not gonna underestimate my opponent just because they haven’t been fighting. [Zingano]’s a super tough girl, she’s [been] training for this fight for over a year now… I don’t underestimate any opponent.”
The UFC’s biggest star for good reason
Ronda Rousey is one of the UFC’s biggest stars and for good reason. She backs up every bit of her trash talk as well as living up to every bit of hype that is mustered behind her undefeated record. In addition, she has been able to cross over from MMA fans into mainstream fans as well with appearances on Entourage, The Ultimate Fighter Season 18, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and even hosting Saturday Night Live.
However, the 24-year-old hasn’t been as active as some of her peers. While she has participated in four fights since joining the UFC roster at February 2013’s UFC 157, Rousey will have only fought three times over just 21 months come fight night.
Conclusion
MMA is more than just Rousey vs Zingano fight night details. It will also host two male title fights with one being a superstar in the making. The UFC has given FOX full control of production for this event, ensuring no production errors like what happened at UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, England. Rousey vs Zingano will be the main event on free television with co-headliners Dan Henderson vs Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett vs Travis Browne airing too. Ronda Rousey is undefeated but hasn’t been as active as some of her peers. Over a span of only 21 months she will have participated in four fights come fight night which is March 14th 2014. With all of this happening, it’s clear that MMA is more than just Rousey vs Zingano fight night details.
