UFC Adds Its Second Women’s Bout: Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano for TUF 17 Finale

Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano

Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche square off at UFC 157 next week to usher the era of women’s MMA into the Octagon, but UFC officials on Monday announced the signing of two more women.

Miesha Tate will square off with Cat Zingano at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13 in Las Vegas.

Tate (13-3) is a former Strikeforce bantamweight champion, having lost her belt to Rousey early last year. She bounced back with a hard-earned victory over Julie Kedzie in August, but then took a step back.

Citing a lack of passion in the Kedzie fight that she hadn’t experienced before, Tate was left to ponder her career.

The UFC’s decision to finally add a women’s 135-pound division, however, seemed to leave Tate proud and reinvigorated.

“We’re at the top of the mountain now that’s kind of how I feel anyways,” she told MMAWeekly.com about adding women to the Octagon. “With this accomplishment coming into the UFC, we’ve kind of reached that final goal.”

Now her goal is to return to fighting and work her way into a rematch with Rousey, or into a shot at whoever holds the belt.

Miesha Tate and  Cat Zingano, are both newcomers to the UFC, but both are also considered amongst the top fighters in the division.

Zingano (7-0) has had less high profile fights than Tate, but brings a spotless record to the Octagon. She is a strong wrestler that packs a power punch and slick submissions in her arsenal of weapons.

Zingano has won several regional promotional titles, and has wins over Carina Damm, Takayo Hashi, and Raquel Pennington on her resume. Her last trip to the cage was at Invicta FC 3, where she toppled Pennington.

Tate vs. Zingano will be part of the TUF 17 Finale fight card that also includes a men’s heavyweight showdown between Gabriel Gonzaga and Travis Browne.

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