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Kelvin Gastelum wasn't the only mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter pulling off the upset at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Finale last weekend (April 13, 2013) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Relatively unknown and undefeated (8-0) Cat Zingano dashed Ronda Rousey's hopes of coaching on season 18 of TUF against Miesha Tate by repeatedly delivering some brutal knees to the face of the former Strikeforce champion en route to a third-round technical knockout victory.
The win marked an impressive come-from-behind victory for Zingano and secured her a coaching gig on the next season of TUF and a subsequent title shot against "Rowdy" for the women's bantamweight strap.
But, the victory came with a bit of controversy as many, including Miesha herself, believed the fight was called prematurely. "Alpha," however, says referee Kim Winslow -- who has had her share of questionable calls inside the cage -- made the right decision to bring an end to the fight when she did.
On the flip side, Zingano wishes the bout would have gone a bit longer just so she could erase all doubt that she would have put "Cupcake" away, anyway.
Cat's words on her recent appearance on "The MMA Hour:"
"It sucks to have a controversial call. You never like to hear, 'Oh, that wouldn't have ended the fight' or whatever. That sucks. I don't like hearing that. I walked away because I thought she was done. If I didn't think the fight was over I would've have sat there and needed to be pulled off her. Between the three of us sitting right there and the damage Miesha was taking to her face, when the referee stepped in, that's why it was easy for me to turn and walk away because it was about time. It was within a matter of a couple more strikes before I thought it was going to be beyond return. I kind of wish it would have gone on a little bit longer so there's no questions, but I think she did good job keeping Miesha safe."
Safety first.
Regardless of Tate's outrage of the stoppage, Zingano is confident that "it was only going to get worse" for Miesha's face and nose had the bout been allowed to continue longer.
Nevertheless, "Alpha" will now shift her attention to Rousey -- the new face of women's MMA -- as fans will have a chance to get to know Cat a bit more with her new gig as coach on TUF 18 which premieres on Sept. 4, 2013 and will air on FOX Sports 1, not FX.
How about it Maniacs, you've seen the fight, did referee Kim Winslow make the right decision to stop it when she did? What chances are you giving Zingano when she faces off against arm-snatching and ligament-tearing Rousey inside the Octagon?
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