UFC 184 : Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano –A Closer Look

In the era we live in it is quite rare for two highly talented fighters in their prime, while both relevant, both sporting perfect ledgers and being defending or former champions to meet in any ring or cage. Even If they do, it is usually after their prime or after one has suffered a noticeable set back or devastating loss. It’s such a rare occurrence that in the history of the UFC there have only been two other instances were a pair of unbeaten fighters locked horns for a world title. Nevertheless, that is the unique backdrop for this weekend as undefeated UFC champion; Ronda Rousey makes her long awaited return to the cage following her dynamic title defense last summer to take on fellow unbeaten star, Cat Zingano. Fight fans fiending for another glimpse of the femme fatal can finally get their fix as Rousey and Zingano main event UFC 184 in Los Angeles, a homecoming of sorts for the Californian champion. Here is a closer look at what to expect when the Octagon door shuts as this highly anticipated title fight is underway from inside the Staples Center.

California’s own “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (10-0) has never lost a match in her amateur or professional career.  After picking up a bronze medal in the Olympics, Rousey’s remarkable motivation powered by her fiery determination to succeed needed another outlet thus she embarked on her combat sports journey in 2011. She touched down in the world renowned Strikeforce organization stringing together 4 consecutive victories, all by armbar submission in the 1^st round and all under 1 minute. Inevitably, she was knocking at the door of a title shot against defending champion, Miesha Tate. Their title fight went down in early 2012 where Rousey lifted the crown off of Tate with an armbar at (4:27) of the 1^st round. She would go on to defend her title via armbar of Sarah Kaufman just 54 seconds into the 1^st stanza. “Rowdy” Rousey graduated to the big league, taking on Liz Carmouche in the historical first ever women’s bout at UFC 157 in 2013 where she submitted Carmouche with another 1^st round armbar finish.  Later that year, Rousey would rematch someone for the first time as she met Miesha Tate at UFC 168 defeating her nemesis using her patented armbar finish in the 3^rd round. Her most recent title defenses came in 2014 where she crushed the previously unbeaten Sara McMann and the durable Alexis Davis, both via 1^st round KOs that combined together lasted 1 minute and 22 seconds.

A professional since 2008 “Alpha” Cat Zingano (9-0) has never lost a match in her professional career as well with those bouts only going the distance once. Owning 3 submissions to her record peppered in-between 5 submissions, Zingano has made it perfectly clear that she is extremely well versed in her stand up or on the canvas. The 4-time All-American’s devastatingly raw power and aggression are only the tip of the iceberg since her incredible wrestling as well as prowess on the mat have yet to be matched by any fighter that she has come across. After becoming a 2-division champion in both the Ring of Fire and Fight To Win organizations, the Coloradoan made her Octagon debut in 2013 in the now historic second women’s match in the UFC, also the first in a The Ultimate Fighter Finale. There, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt raised eyebrows with her stunning dismantling of Miesha Tate via 3^rd round TKO.  Unfortunately, Zingano suffered a knee injury that sidelined her for over a year, delaying her title shot.  Questions surrounding her recovery and lengthy inactivity combined with a tragic family loss put her under the media’s microscope as to how exactly she would return, or if she was even the same unbreakable fighter last seen in the cage.  The Colorado star shined brighter than ever in her returning match at the UFC 178 PPV this past September overcoming a dangerous first round to rally back against the very game Amanda Nunes and finish her via strikes in the 3^rd round.

While most pundits argue that the Colorado native can take Rousey the distance thanks to her supreme conditioning and other worldly tenacity, it’s tough to see this fight even going into the championships minutes since neither woman has ever had a fight go more than 3 rounds in their entire careers. Add to that out of their total combined matches, Rousey and Zingano have knocked out or submitted 18 of their 19 victims.  It’s not so common for a vicious path of destruction to be so elegantly crafted by a fighter in the most uniquely competitive MMA organization in the world. It’s even less common for it to have happened simultaneously and for those two combatants to wind up on a collision course during the best years of their professional careers.

However, it is happening, which means that the MMA gods have smiled upon fight fans and the place for this match to unfold in all of its glory is as the headliner of this weekend’s UFC 184 pay per view live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.  There, undefeated champion, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey takes on undefeated challenger “Alpha” Cat Zingano for the undisputed women’s UFC bantamweight crown in a beautifully violent, can’t-miss action battle.