Cat Zingano earned the #1 contender spot in the UFC’s bantamweight division in April of 2013 but a torn ACL and the death of her husband kept Cat out for over a year. She returned at UFC 178 and looked as good as ever in a 3rd round KO of Amanda Nunes. That performance must’ve been enough to convince UFC President Dana White that she’s ready for a shot at the champ, Ronda Rousey.
Rousey has destroyed her last few opponents without having to depend on her signature arm bar. She’s added to her stand up game by becoming a more precise and powerful striker. Zingano (9-0, 2-0 UFC) is the next one in line to dethrone Rousey and show that she’s not unbeatable.
UFC 182 takes place in Las Vegas on January 3rd and is headlined by Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier.
The addition of Rousey vs Zingano could push the event to the forefront of the all-time UFC PPV list. It’ll be interesting to see who else is added to the UFC 182 card in the following months.