Former challenger Miesha Tate predicted Ronda Rousey's next fight, as she picked "Rowdy" to win easily. "Cupcake" also expressed her intent to fight the current women's bantamweight title contender in a rematch.
Ronda Rousey's next fight will be against "Alpha" Cat Zingano at UFC 182 on January 3rd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Like Rousey, Zingano has remained undefeated in her mixed martial arts career, holding a record of 9-0. She is also coming off a third round TKO victory over Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 this past weekend, a fight she had after being shelved for more than a year.
Tate fought "Rowdy" twice, first in the now-defunct Strikeforce organization in 2012, and in a rematch at UFC 168 in December 2013, wherein she lost both fights. In an interview with MMA Underground, "Cupcake" believes that "Rowdy" will easily win against Zingano.
"I think that Ronda is going to win the fight," Tate said. "Zingano starting slow two fights in a row is not going to serve her well with Ronda, who is a fight-finishing machine."
"She finishes fights in the first round," she added. "You can't come out to a slow pace and expect to get out of a round with Ronda Rousey."
Tate further shared her experiences facing women's MMA's current queen, noting how Rousey has the sizeable physical advantage over her opponent.
"I've been in there with both and I think the explosive power of Rousey will beat Cat to the punches in every area and that should be enough to keep the title," Tate said speaking about Ronda Rousey's next fight.
Miesha Tate fought Cat Zingano in April 2013 at the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, where she lost the fight via unanimous decision. While she respects "Alpha" for what she has done to earn her title shot, she also expressed her intent to face the reigning women's title contender in a rematch.
"I still want that rematch," Tate said. "I've been saying that, and I know she's there for her title fight and she can have that. After that I'd like to have a chance to avenge the loss. I still saw holes in her game. I still saw weaknesses in her game. I want to fight her again."
