Miesha Tate focused on Cat Zingano and not worried about 'TUF' coach spot – yet

Miesha Tate found out she could be coaching on “The Ultimate Fighter 18? an hour before UFC President Dana White announced it at UFC 158.

Like many who first heard about the show’s concept, which puts both male and female MMA hopefuls in a Las Vegas mansion to compete for UFC contracts, her initial reaction was mostly shocked. She also expected carnal consequences.

“I was like, ‘Are you crazy? Inside the house at the same time!’ Tate told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “[Dana] started laughing. I said, ‘You better make sure that all the guys have condoms and all the girls are on mandatory birth control, because I’m sure it’s going to get nuts in there. Getting knocked up is not very good for your career as a female fighter.’

“He was like, ‘I know. It’s worse than getting knocked out. That’s for sure.’”

Tate (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), of course, has yet to book the gig. To secure it, she needs to beat Cat Zingano (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, which takes place Saturday at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The event’s main-card, including Zingano vs. Tate, airs live on FX following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook.

The undefeated Zingao will try to rob Tate of the coaching spot, which will set up a title fight against women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey at the season’s conclusion. “TUF 18? begins filming this summer and debuts in September.

Tate has been inundated with questions about Rousey, who took her Strikeforce title more than a year ago.

“Everyone wants to ask me about Ronda and ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ but to me, I don’t care about any of that right now,” she said. “It’s just Cat. That’s all that have on my plate, and all I’m concerned with. If I don’t do what I need to do on April 13, none of that matters. So why even bother getting excited about it?”

Since her initial reaction to the show, Tate has changed her mind on the possibilities for drama.

“I had a good laugh about this the other day, because a lot of the girls in this industry are lesbians, which I have no problem with,” she said. “They’re cool-ass chicks. But I was making a joke that it’s going to be so funny – all the girls on this show are going to be lesbians, and all the guys are going to be like, ‘We’re going to be hooking up with these hot fighter chicks.’ And the girls are going to be hooking up with each other.

“The boys are going to be like, ‘I thought this was going to be way cooler than it is.’”

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.