Cat Zingano is set to make a comeback at UFC 178. She will be facing Amanda Nunes on September 27 in Las Vegas.
In an MMA Weekly report, Zingano has an undefeated record of 8-0 and wants to fight women's champion Ronda Rousey soon. She previously expressed that she wanted to fight Rousey. In The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, Zingano was supposed to face Rousey after beating Miesha Tate.
Zingano was bound to coach against Rousey's team at The Ultimate Fighter 18 then challenge the champion at the end. She earned her coaching job at TFU 18 after winning the previous season. However, she suffered an ACL injury and did not proceed. A month later, Zingano lost her husband Mauricio Zingano, who committed suicide earlier in 2014. She was forced to stay out of the ring for a while to settle these matters.
According to Fox Sports, Zingano, 32 years old, is at the top in the UFC among bantamweight contenders, having beaten Tate, Barb Honchak and Raquel Pennington.
On the other hand, Nunes has a record of 9-3 and won two straight times in the UFC. She had TKO wins against Sheila Gaff and Germaine de Randamie. The 26-year-old Brazilian ranks No. 8 among the women's bantamweight contenders in the UFC.
Despite being the No. 1 contender, Zingano will have to face Nunes first, since Rousey needs more time to rest and recover after recently dominating Davis. Zingano should not take her fight against Nunes lightly, considering how the latter won her past two fights in the first round via TKO. If Zingano wins, she finally gets the chance she always wanted against Rousey. If Nunes wins, it would definitely improve her status in the women's contender list. So far, Zingano is the ideal contender for the powerful Rousey, considering that the UFC might still be working out deals to sign either Gina Carano or Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino, who also want to end Rousey's reign, Bleacher Report noted.
Whoever emerges as the victor of the UFC 178 fight will have a shot to fight Rousey in December. Rousey has currently been placed on medical suspension to have surgery on her knee and hand. Rousey previously defeated Alexa Davis in just 16 seconds via TKO at UFC 175 on July 5, 2014.
UFC 178 will feature Jones versus Gustafsson II in the main event. Dominick Cruz is also set to return after a three-year hiatus from mixed martial arts.
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