Werdum vs. Browne & Tate vs. Carmouche Set for UFC on Fox 11 in Florida

Werdum vs. Browne & Tate vs. Carmouche Set for UFC on Fox 11 in Florida
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

A Heavyweight contenders match up between Fabricio Wedum and Travis Browne, as well has a battle between 2 former women's bantamweight title challenges in Meisha Tate and Liz Carmouche has been added to UFC on Fox 11. UFC officials confirmed the event on Monday evening.

UFC on Fox is slated for April 19th, and will take place at the Amway Center in Orlando Florida, home to the Orlando Magic, and the host of the 2012 NBA all-star game. The event’s main card airs on FOX in the US following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.  

Widely considered the no.1 contender in the UFC heavyweight division, BJJ world champion Fabricio Werdum (17-5-1, 5-2 UFC) enters the bout with Browne one a 3 fight win streak since returning to the UFC following the closer of Strikeforce. Wins over Roy Nelson, Mike Russow, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, were believe to be enough to earn the 36-year old at shot at the UFC title, however with current champion Cain Velasquez out following shoulder surgery, Werdum has opted to fight Travis Browne for the no. 1 contender status.

6-foot-9 Hawaiian Travis Browne (15-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) comes into the bout with Werdum on back-to-back-to-back Knockout of the Night performances. One of the breakout fighters of 2013, Browne came back from near defeat against Alistair Overeem to sandwiched a front kick KO victory in between viscous elbow knockouts of Gabriel Gonzaga and Josh Barnett. The only loss of Browne's career is to Antonio Silva in a bout in which Browne was winning before injuring his leg.

Having recently coached on The Ultimate Fighter and then lost a rematch with Ronda Rousey at UFC 168, Miesha Tate (13-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) enters the bout with Carmouche looking for a much needed win. A stand out wrestler, Tate has dropped back to back fights to Cat Zingano who defeated Tate by TKO, and Rousey to who she lost to by submission. Although popular amongst fans, a loss against Carmouche could put Tate in danger out being cut.

Her opponent Liz Carmouche (9-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) was the first women to fight and lose in the UFC octagon when she took on Ronda Rousey for the Bantamweight title. Carmouche bounced back with a victory over Jessica Andrade a few months later before losing her most recent bout against Alexis Davis in November. 

Neither Werdum vs Browne or Tate vs Carmouche is expected to be the main event of UFC on Fox 11.
 
   

Is Ronda Rousey Unstoppable?

Who's up next for Ronda Rousey and who's '0' will go?!

by Tommy Strong @strong_tea

Ronda Rousey proved again at UFC 168, that it will take something or someone very special to pull off a victory against her. With another stunning performance defeating Miesha Tate 58 seconds into the 3rd round via her trade mark 'arm bar' to retain the women's bantamweight title.

Though Ronda didn't have all the things her own way, Miesha put up a valiant performance in the first and second round even escaping from a deep arm bar and then rocking Ronda a few times whilst the fight was standing.

Tate made a few errors in the fight, and I was slightly bemused by her fight plan. Trying to take Ronda down and beat her at her own game? Sorry, but this was a massive mistake. You could see when the fight was standing, Tate got the better of the striking, landing some crisp powerful shots that were hurting Ronda. But critically, then wasted heaps of energy trying to take down a former Olympic Judo bronze medallist to the ground.

With Tate having little success other than when the fight was standing, Ronda showed her true skills. Sweeping Tate and landing some powerful takedowns. Once down Ronda looked in her comfort zone and was only a matter of time being the inevitable happened.

Going into the third round with Tate running out of ideas and energy the end was nigh. It wasn't long before Ronda secured the take down and locked in the arm bar forcing Tate to tap right away. There wasn't any danger this time of Tate seeing her arm hyper extended once again.

With the fight over and Tate offering her hand to Ronda in congratulations it was Ronda that snubbed the opportunity to settle the beef and instead turned her back and refused.

I don't want to get into a debate about whether it was good or bad for the sport as that's another topic. Though I do think we as fans get suckered in by a hatred between fighters, only to be put behind them once the fight is over. You know with Ronda, if you piss her off its a grudge match you're going to loss!!

Who's Up First For Ronda?

Shortly after the fight, the UFC were quick to announce that UFC 170 will be headlined by Ronda Rousey and unbeaten fighter Sara McMann (7-0) which will take place on the 22nd February 2014 in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay.

With the exception of Cat Zingano, who was originally scheduled to be TUF 18 coach and go head to head with Ronda but was forced to pull out due to a knee injury that needed surgery, forcing Miesha Tate to step in as a late replacement.

This is the next best fight the fans would like to see!

With the champion being an Olympic Judoka bronze medallist and McMann being a Olympic Wrestler silver medallist, both not blessed with the same striking skills. This will be a fight of who can dominate on the ground. Can McMann stop the arm bar? can Ronda take McMann down? who will be the stronger? Or will the fight negate itself and we see a stand up fight for 5 rounds?

All these questions will be answered come 22nd February, though I for one am a lot more excited to see this fight than I was the Tate rematch.

Cat Zinagno:

Cat Zinagno (8-0) has been promised by Dana White, that she will get the chance to fight the winner of the Ronda vs McMann, and rightfully so in my eyes.

She's been very unfortunate with the knee injury that caused her to miss out being a TUF coach. Not only for that, but also for people to see more in the spotlight and get to know her a little better over the weeks of the TUF series to gather more fans.

Being out for this time she is being a forgotten fighter, though I'm sure if she ends up fighting Ronda or McMann we will be in for a real treat.


Finally with Ronda only fighting twice last year, the news she will be back so soon and be more active in 2014 is not only great news for the UFC but also for the fans.

With GSP taking an indefinite leave of absence and Anderson Silva suffering a horrific leg break against Chris Weidman on Saturday night, I can see the UFC trying to push her as hard, and as fast as they can, to be the new face of the promotion.

UFC 168 Predictions

UFC 168 Predictions
by Ben Heather @benheather and Tommy Strong @Strong_tea

The UFC is back this weekend, and back in a big way with one of the best cards to take place this year. UFC 168 is sure to send the UFC off in to 2014 in a big way.

For the first time in a long time this weekends UFC event will potentially see two UFC titles change hands with both the middleweight title and the women's bantamweight title on the line. It is also the event which may settle two rivalries as Chris Weidman takes on Anderson Silva in what has to be the most anticipated rematch in UFC history. Also the true grudge match will take place as Ronda Rousey gets back in to the cage to face Miesha Tate and this time its in the octagon. If these fights live up to the hype and so do the remaining fights on the card it could easily be the best event of the year, if not all time.

Kingdom MMA will give you their predictions for the event which is sure to be a cracker!

Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva

Strong: The fight everyone has been waiting for is finally upon us. Did Silva take Weidman serious previously? I don't think he did. Though he will have tool this time. Silva won't make the same mistake twice and I see Silva putting right when he done wrong in the first fight.

I don't see lightening striking twice!

Prediction: Anderson Silva - TKO RD 2

Heather: I have been waiting for this fight since Anderson Silva was knocked out in the last fight, the reason for that is simple.... Chris Weidman needs to win this fight to finally get some respect. I feel he has not got the respect he deserved for knocking out Anderson Silva and why.... that's simple because Anderson Silva did what Anderson Silva does in every fight the only difference was this time he got caught instead of looking flash.

It was only a matter of time with Anderson fighting the way he does before he got caught and finally Weidman did it.

I also feel that he will do the same again on Saturday night and then he will finally get some respect for the accomplishment which he has achieved. People keep saying how Anderson will be focused for this fight more than the first and will get the win, but I think that's complete rubbish. There is one man who will want to get the win more than anything on Saturday night and that man is Chris Weidman, he has everything to lose and if he does lose will probably not be getting another title shot for a while.

If Anderson changes anything then i believe it will be to Weidmans advantage. He has always thought the same way and so any changes to the way he fights may work against him.

Prediction: Chris Weidman - TKO RD 4


Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate

Strong: This is a real grudge match, with both fighters who truly have a dislike for each other. Though since their first fight in 2012 I feel Ronda is the fighter who's progressed, and Miesha has stood still or even took a step backwards.

Its going to take a special fighter to beat Ronda and feel Miesha's chance has passed. I would love to see Miesha win the title from her fierce enemy, though unless she can keep the fight standing for 3 rounds I don't see her winning.

Prediction: Ronda Rousey - Submission Rd 3

Heather: For me this is very simple... Ronda beats anyone at 135lbs and Tate only has this fight as it is good for business. She is coming in to fight the champ off a loss and nobody seems to be saying anything about it. Yet when other people get title shots when they are not the clear contender everyone bitches about the decision.

I will be surprised if it makes it past the first round and Miesha still has her arm!!

Prediction: Ronda Rousey - Armbar Rd 1


Josh Barnett vs Travis Browne

Strong: I love nothing better than a good heavyweight match up, and this is what we have right here. Both very powerful men who will look to put on an impressive performance to put themselves into the window of title contention.

Barnett will be keen to get Browne to the mat where he can do all the damage, where as Browne will do his utmost to keep the fight standing to put the advantage firmly in his favour.

Prediction: Travis Browne - TKO Rd 1

Heather: This fight has had me going back and forth in my head and to honest I am still not sure how it will pan out. I do believe these guys are right up the top of the division and a win could put them in a potential number 1 contender fight with Werdum if Cain is sidelined for a while.

As Tommy said, I also believe Browne will have the advantage standing up and he has only lost to Bigfoot Silva in a fight he looked great in until he got injured. I think if he did not get injured during the fight, that fight would have been very different. However, Barnett certainly will have the advantage on the ground.

Even as I am writing this I still don't know how it is going to go but it is certainly a fight I am looking forward to watching. I'm gonna take on punt on Browne and say he gets the W on Saturday night.

Prediction: Travis Browne - TKO Rd 3


Jim Miller vs Fabricio Camoes

Strong: Miller will be eager to get back to winning way after his loss to Healy (though later overturned to NC due to Healy's failed drugs test) I think in Camoes he has the perfect opportunity. Camoes is coming into the fight of the back of a defeat to Melvin Gulliard which is no shame, though anything he throws at Miller I can see him dealing with.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision

Heather: I will not waste too much of your time in the write up for my pick for this fight. Jim Miller has a far greater set of skills to lose this fight. I am unsure of the match making behind this fight.... however a loss for Miller would be very bad for any potential future title shot he still dreams about.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision


Dustin Poirier vs Diego Brandao

Strong: This is one of the fights I'm looking forward to most. It has fight of the night written all over it! Poirier will be full of confidence of the back of beating Erik Koch in August. But he will be up against it when facing former TUF 14 winner Diego Brandao.

Brandao has a wild style of fighting that will lend itself to Dustin's striking. Though, if Brandao manages to land one of his wild attacks on Poirier we should be in for a real treat of a fight.

Piorier has fought some of the best fighters within the division, Brandao hasn't fought anyone to the level of Poirier, I feel this might be the key!

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Unanimous Decision 

Heather: Firstly Dustin Poirier is one of my favourite fighters to watch, he always comes to fight and always turns up. That being said I can guarantee to you right now that two things will happen on Saturday night.

1) Diego Brandao will come out quickly with some big shots in the first round
2) Diego Brandao will then gas..... badly!!

What happens next I believe Dustin will take care of business and weather the early onslaught before finishing a gassed Brandao in the third round and probably by pulling off another highlight reel submission.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Submission RD 3

Please let us know what your predictions are for this event and if you agree with both of ours.

Fighter vs Writer - UFC 168 Calderwood vs Heard

Fighter vs Writer: JoJo Calderwood - UFC 168
by Ben Heather @benheather

Welcome to another Kingdom MMA fighter vs writer challenge.

For this feature we challenge some of the biggest names from the world of MMA to give us their picks and fight outcomes for specific MMA events. Then they will be challenged by one of our writers, who will make their own predictions. Previously we have challenged the likes of Dustin Poirier, Luke Barnatt, Jim Alers, Mike Wilkinson, Phil Harris, Cathal Pendred and Michael Wootten.

This weeks opponent was the perfect woman for the job. After recently taking her MMA record to 8-0 at Invicta 7 with a unanimous decision win over Katja Kankaanpaa she was back in the news when Dana White told the world that the UFC will now have a 115lb womens division and that she was one of 11 women to have signed for the UFC. She is of course Jojo Calderwood and this weekend she will compete against our newest writer Sam Heard.

The Scoring
If you predict the correct winner of the fight you will get one point and if you predict the correct method of victory you will get an extra point. However, if the fight ends in a stoppage and you predict the round as well the method you could earn a third bonus point. If the fight goes the distance you can only earn a maximum of two points.

The Predictions

Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva

Calderwood: I think Silva will be back to his best for this fight with a point to prove.

Prediction: Anderson Silva - TKO Round 3 

Heard: The moment we’ve all been waiting for! I believe we will see a more serious, focused Anderson Silva who will keep the clowning to a minimum. Until he got caught in the first fight, Anderson seemed quicker than Weidman and was landing hard leg kicks at will. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Anderson was able to “give back” the KO to Weidman.

However, as much as it pains me to say it, I think Weidman has the edge here. Historically, championship rematches have never failed the older fighter and though Silva is without doubt the GOAT there is no escaping the fact that he is nearing 40. Weidman is a relentless wrestler who happens to also have decent stand-up and even better submissions; everyone knows that wrestlers are the worst matchups for Anderson. He nearly got that heel hook in the first round of their first clash and I believe we could see Anderson, who could well just have accepted the rematch he initially showed no interest in for the big cheque, tap out.

Prediction: Chris Weidman - Submission Round 4

Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate

Calderwood: I'd love to see this go a bit but Ronda is pretty determined and it's going to go the way everyone expects.

Prediction: Ronda Rousey - Armbar Round 2

Heard: The bookies would have you believe this fight is certain to end with Ronda’s hand raised. I really think that they’re undervaluing Miesha Tate here. In their first match Miesha looked like she had an edge on the feet and displayed some brilliant counter-grappling to resist Ronda’s first attempt at the Armbar and even take the Bantamweight Champion’s back.

So what’s changed since then? Ronda seems to be spending an increasing amount of time on her acting career. There’s no doubting Tate seems more focused on her MMA career at this stage. Added to this, Rousey’s nature as a fighter who’s ultra-specialised in one very focused area means that training and a game plan can be focused on countering her speciality; namely that awesome Armbar of hers. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that not only does Miesha take Ronda into the uncharted territories of the 2nd and 3rd round put that she pulls off the upset.

Prediction: Miesha Tate - Unanimous Decision

Josh Barnett vs Travis Browne

Calderwood: I think Barnett is one of the best heavyweight submission guys, he's dealt with tall opponents before and I think once he gets past Browne's range I think the sub will come.

Prediction: Josh Barnett - Submission Round 2

Heard: Despite coming off two huge wins, I’m not entirely sold on Travis Browne. Though he went on to KO Overeem with that brilliant front kick, I think Overeem did enough to get the stoppage as there were stages where Browne seemed defenceless and have seen referees jump in for far less. Yes, he did beat Gonzaga but Barnett is a very different beast to the Brazillian, having competed at the top level throughout his whole career and has only ever lost to the very best.

I don’t think Barnett will manage to get the finish against Browne but I think he has an advantage in all areas. Browne’s experience is mainly limited to the first round while Barnett has gone all the way in a five round main event so expect Barnett to show better conditioning.


Prediction: Josh Barnett - Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Jim Miller vs Fabricio Camoes

Calderwood: I don't know too much about Camoes, I like watching Jim Miller fight and I'm pretty sure he's coming off a loss so he will be even more dangerous.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision 

Heard: I believe this is a showcase fight for Miller with Fabricio being fed to the lions a bit. Camoes is 1-1 in the UFC and coming off a loss to inconsistent Melvin Guillard while Miller is arguably one of the best lightweights to have never had a shot at the title and is coming off a loss which he very nearly won ( and which was eventually overturned) to Pat Healy.

I think Miller has the tools to win comfortably.

Prediction: Jim Miller - Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30, 27)

Dustin Poirier vs Diego Brandao

Calderwood: Looking forward to this fight, I think it will be competitive for a round or two but Brandao will gas leaving Poirier to win on points.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Unanimous Decision and FOTN

Heard: There’s no doubting that Brandao’s kamikaze aggression makes for entertaining fights but it makes it very difficult to have any faith in him as a pick. He has a tendency to rush out all guns blazing for the first round only to slow down ridiculously in the latter two thirds of the fight. This bad fight IQ won’t fair well against an athlete like Poirier.

Poirier survived and overcame the elite striking skills of Erik Koch in his last fight so should be able to weather the early storm of Diego Brandao. When Brandao inevitably gases I think Poirier should be able to implement his slick submission skills and get the win in the latter part of the fight, probably by armbar or his signature d'arce choke.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier - Submission Round 3


So that's our predictions for the fights, we will be live tweeting on Saturday night as always and we will keep you all informed as to how the challenge is going with latest scores throughout the main card.

Thanks again to JoJo for providing us with her picks for this weekends fights and it just leaves me to say.... May the best man or woman win!!

Miesha Tate: An unwanted surprise in to face Ronda Rousey

Miesha Tate replaces injured Cat Zingano for coaches role on TUF 18

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

Filming for season 18 of TUF Rousey vs. Zingano began on Tuesday but there was a huge shock in store for UFC women’s champ Ronda Rousey. Cat Zingano blew her knee out while training on May 16th.
Rousey did not know about Zingano’s injury... nobody did, it was a very well kept secret by the UFC and when Miesha Tate walked out in the UFC training centre she was clearly shocked and stormed out of the gym looking for UFC President Dana White. She later said she was angry because she thought she was the one being replaced, apparently?

Rousey, though, was pleased with the change.
“This is what we really wanted all along,” Rousey told Yahoo! Sports. “Everyone said an Ultimate Fighter between me and Miesha would be the best. We have a personal history with each other and this is a personal show. For some reason, me and Miesha are intertwined in fate like Ali and Frazier or something like that."

“I think people will look back at this as one of the monumental rivalries and look back at this as one of those things that really cemented women’s MMA.”
Tate said she was disappointed that it had took an injury to Zingano to get the spot on the show but felt she was winning the fight with Zingano when referee Kim Winslow stopped the fight. A lot of people agree with Tate it was a fight full of controversy that we at Kingdom MMA took time to discuss – http://www.kingdommma.co.uk/2013/04/kingdom-mma-roundtable-on-talking.html

Tate said she was thrilled to not only get the spot on the show but also the shot at the tittle and to see Rousey get visibly angry when she appeared.
“It was rewarding to see that,” she said. “I was like, ‘Yay! This is getting good.’ I watched her go to her corner and her corner was up in arms. I was just sitting there in the doorway thinking, ‘This is awesome.’"
“I felt I was cheated a little in that fight with Cat. I had two solid rounds and one not-so-good round. Either way, I felt I was meant to be here and it’s come full circle.”

Season 18 of TUF will be on our screens in September and is part of the new Fox Sports 1 channel in the states, I believe this will be on BT Sports in the UK as part of the new TV deal. The coaches are slated to fight December 28th and that fight could turn out to be one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

This is also the first season to feature women coaches with men and women’s divisions in the competition.
Added to that the rivalry between the two coaches, these two really don’t like each other and have history as Rousey took the title from Tate under the now defunct Strikeforce promotion in 2011. It was that fight which got UFC president Dana White’s interest in women’s fighting. To that point, White had maintained that the UFC would be men-only.

Zingano underwent surgery on her right knee on Tuesday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, as well as to clean up other damage. She said she injured the knee as she came down after clearing a short hurdle.

“I was doing my regular routine, my strength and conditioning,” Zingano told Yahoo! Sports by telephone shortly before she was wheeled into surgery. “I was jumping over tunnels that were about 12 inches high. I’d jumped over them like 10 times already. This one time, I jumped up and my left knee came down right on track and my right knee bent outward."

Zingano said she will be able to resume training in six to nine months. She said the most crushing part of the injury is that she will lose the opportunity to fight Rousey for the belt. She said White promised her she would have the first shot at the Tate-Rousey winner.

Dana white said it made more sense for Tate to fill the spot on the show rather than one of the others in the UFC’s women’s division.
“But with Miesha, she and Ronda already had a great fight and they have a history together. They don’t like each other. We’ll make it work. We always do. You know how I say every day when I wake up, I know some bad [expletive] is going to happen? Well, this was one of them, but we’re doing the best we can here.”

Expect an explosive season with these two coaching and the men and women competing on the show all living under one roof.

Two more fights added to UFC on FOX 8

Flyweight Title fight to headline UFC on FOX 8

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

UFC on FOX 8 takes place July 27 in Seattle, Washington and it look like we have our complete card with the announcement of the headline fight.

Demetrious Johnson (17-2-1 MMA 5-1-1 UFC) and current UFC Flyweight Champion  is back from injury. He meets John Moraga (12-1 MMA 2-0 UFC) as his number 1 contender in a match that was briefly linked to the TUF17 Finale before injury scuppered that after surgery was needed to fix a torn labrum on Johnson's right shoulder.

This is a bit of a filler fight as the flyweight division searches for some order and gives a chance for new contenders to emerge. Johnson is the first and only UFC flyweight champion after coming through the tournament to kick the division off with a win over Ian McCall in the semis and defeating the highly rated Joseph Benavidez for the title. He defended his title for the 1st time at a previous FOX event UFC on Fox 6 where he beat John Dodson via decision.

 The card also got a boost with another intriguing fight added. Miesha Tate will try to get back on the title trail after her knockout loss to Cat Zingano with a fight against Liz Carmouche a former contender who was beaten by Ronda Rousey last time out. The division is very shallow at the moment so a win for either fighter puts them straight back into contention.

Kingdom MMA Roundtable on the talking points from the Tate vs Zingano fight

Kingdom MMA discuss the potential controversy from Saturday nights women's no 1 contender contest

by Ben Heather @benheather

Since Saturday night it seems that everyone who saw the Miesha Tate vs Cat Zingano fight this weekend at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale has been debating some talking points from the fight. So now the guys at Kingdom MMA will throw our opinions in to the hat for you all to read.

Was the fight stopped Early?

Chris: For well over a year its seems the standing joke amongst MMA fans on twitter is that Kim Wimslow is going to end up letting someone die in the cage, with her late stoppages. While this is a gross over exaggeration, you have to admit she has put some fighters in serious danger since her debut. Controversy is never far away in a Wimslow officiated fight, and it appears this fight was no exception.

I've seen a lot of people talk about an illegal knee, the fight was stopped too soon etc. but to be honest I think Wimslow did a pretty good job in this one, in fact one could argue she would have been justified to stop the fight before Tate even stood up - from my point of view Tate certainly wasn't fighting back or intelligently defending herself.

John: When I watched the fight live I thought it was stopped early but after watching it a few more times I think the stoppage came at the correct time. Tate had just eaten four well placed knees followed by an elbow that dropped her against the cage. I think she was one shot away from lights out.

Ben: If I am honest I thought at the time that Tate was taking punishment which she did not need to take at the end of the fight and not wisely protecting herself. When she took the four consecutive knees to the head that ended the fight as a battle and could have been stopped then. By the time the elbow came in Tate did not know where she was.

Watching the fight back..... A LOT, there is no way that Tate was going for a take down. She dropped and put her hands on the floor. She didn't drop and grab Cat's legs and at that point Kim Wimslow saved Tate from any further punishment.

Were the knees legal at the end of the fight?

Chris: While I would have been happy for the fight to be stopped on the ground, when Tate managed to get up the first knee that landed certainly did look illegal. That being said I don't think there was any malicious intent there, and realistically the damage was already done. Personally I would be keen for a review of the definition of a downed opponent - a finger on the floor does not make you a downed opponent if you ask me.

Ben: The opinion I take on this is that if it was illegal it was so close that you can't blame Kim Wimslow for letting the fight continue. If it was such a big talking point and as controversial as some people on the Internet have been making it out to be, then why didn't Jon Anik and Kenny Florian mention it.... at all!! The answer is because in my opinion there is nothing to discuss.

John: I think the first one was, just. Tate was just about to stand up as Zingano was throwing the first knee. Its not like Tate was trying to stay a downed opponent she was fighting her way back to a stand up position.

What you thought of Tate's conduct after rd 1. (Pushing Cat's face away)  

Ben: This to me was the most controversial moment of the whole fight and it seems to have been swept under the carpet. As far as I am concerned what Tate did was a punk move!! She had no reason to put her hands on Cat's face after the buzzer. I was backing Tate going in to this fight but as soon as she did that I wanted Cat to make her pay and was pleased when she got the TKO finish in the third.

John: No matter what people say before or during a fight, if you like the person you are fighting or not you should never put your hands on an opponent in between rounds or after the fight. You are martial artists who do this as a job and not some drunken yobs fighting on a night out, LEARN SOME RESPECT.

Chris: Someone needs to explain the whole martial artist = respect thing to the Tate / Caraway family. From Tate pushing off Zingano's face to stand up, to Caraway promising violence on women his girlfriend can't beat, it's terrible behaviour and one can't help but feel they got what's coming to them.

Who wins the UFC Women's bantamweight title fight Cat or Ronda?

Chris: While Zingano certainly could have success on the feet against Rousey, I see the fight going just like all the other Rousey fights. Zingano proved she is good on the ground in the Tate fight but she did end up in a Tate armbar at one point in time, and although she managed to defend it and eventually escape, Rousey will take her arm home if Zingano allows her anywhere near it. Expect a ferocious few minutes of dirty boxing against the cage, followed by Rousey take down, Rousey armbar attempt, Rousey first round submission victory.

John: I think this is Rousey’s toughest opponent yet no doubt. I think Rousey will have to come out pressuring from the start and try and get her trade arm bar quick before Zingano gets going. Zingano over powers Rousey all day long, if she finds her range early Rousey’s in trouble. Remember Rousey nearly came unstuck against Liz Carmouche when she took her back and was really cranking on Rousey’s neck but couldn’t quite sink it in fully. Should be an interesting fight to watch.

Ben: Cat's heart and determination to get through some tough times in the first two rounds against Tate makes me think that she may be the first person to take Rousey to the second round.

However the way Rousey has dominated all opponents and even though they all know and I imagine trained non stop on preventing and getting out of armbars she has still locked on and got the tap. I can't see anyone taking the belt away from Ronda anytime soon.

In the end somebody will be picking up that first career loss and if the women's fights in the UFC have been anything to go by so far, what I can guarantee is that it will be an absolute war.

UFC The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale Main Card Results - Cat Zingano vs Miesha Tate

Cat Zingano defeats Miesha Tate by TKO Round 3, 2:55

by John Haigh @JohnBjayHaigh

The second women’s fight in the UFC took place in Las Vegas on Saturday night at the TUF 17 finale.

From the opening bell Miesha Tate (13-4) started strong and was the constant aggressor, usually its Cat Zingano (8-0) as the early aggressor. Tate bombarded Zingano for the first round scoring takedowns and out striking Zingano on the feet.

Round two was mostly the same as the first, Tate again took Zingano to the mat and had her in trouble with a heel hook attempt but couldn’t quite lock it in. Zingano managed to fight her way out of danger with a reversal and turned the tide late in the round bloodying Tate up with a ground and pound attack. A very close round to call.

With Tate winning the first round and the second being very hard to call Zingano had to go for it at the start of the third and she certainly did that, finding her strength in the third and final round. Zingano took Tate to the mat and launched another ground and pound attack, landing punches and elbows. Tate did get the fight back to the feet but Zingano continued the pressure landing four straight knees to the head that had Tate dazed up against the cage . Zingano delivered one well placed elbow that dropped Tate to the mat, the referee had seen enough and called a stop to the action.

Zingano was very complimentary towards Tate after the fight saying “To be honest, I looked up to Miesha since I started this sport. I was scared to death of her, but I had no time to show it,”
“This is a dream come true. Everything that’s happened in my life has led me to this day.”

With the victory Zingano’s dream continues not only has she added to her undefeated streak but gets the chance to coach against Rhonda Rousey on TUF 18, the first series which will be coached by female coaches. Most importantly she gets her shot at the belt around Rousey’s waist, when the two meet at the end of the season.

Some will say it was a poor stoppage by the referee and Tate wasn’t given a chance to fight back. There was also a few other talking point within this fight and the Kingdom MMA staff will go in to this in detail later.
Keep Checking Kingdom MMA for all the latest news from around the world of MMA.