UFC Woman’s Champion Ronda Rousey lived up to the hype in her UFC 157 title match against Liz Carmouche. Now the challenge for the UFC is to find her an opponent that is compatible in skill and marketability.
The UFC has recently added a TUF 17 finale undercard match of Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano.
UFC president Dana White said this when asked if the winner of Tate vs. Zingano would be the next opponent for Rousey.
“That would make sense.”
Miesha was defeated last year by Rousey and lost her Strikeforce championship title to Rousey in that match. Tate has the experience inside and outside of the ring to surpass the buzz of 157. Tate’s modelling background will make her a easy to promote and catch the attention of the casual fan.
If Zingano was to win the match then the UFC would have to play up her undefeated record of 8-0. Zingano has only gone to the cards once in her MMA career and her striking power/skill may be better than Rousey’s. The scariest thing for a champion is facing an opponent with the ability to end a fight with one punch.
One thing was proven in Rousey’s Saturday night fight; woman are more than capable of carrying a fight card. The UFC set attendance records at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California with 15,500 attendees. That number grossed the UFC over 1.4 million dollars at the gate.
Regardless of opponent, the world is already clamouring to see more of Ronda Rousey and the UFC will happily oblige.