It was somewhat of a surprise to look at the odds for the Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano bout and see that Zingano was the favorite to win.
With Tate’s longer record, Strikeforce title and her comfort level in big fights, it would have been understandable if she had entered the TUF 17 fight as the favorite, but she didn’t—and that was the right call from the oddsmakers.
Tate came out aggressively, perhaps looking to take advantage of her less-experienced opponent’s Octagon jitters. Tate’s pressuring style worked through most of the first two rounds. However, after Zingano worked free from a Tate armbar attempt, the tables began to turn.
Zingano finished the second round strong, and the results of that strong finish showed on the bloodied face of Tate. When the third round began it was Zingano who was the aggressor, quickly taking Tate to the mat where she began a ground-and-pound assault.
When Tate was able to stand she was met with well-timed and yes, legal knees that bloodied her even further. Those knees ended up spelling the end of the fight for Tate, as referee Kim Winslow waved the fight off at the 2:55 mark of the third round.
Following the bout, Tate spoke at the post-fight presser; she was not happy about the stoppage, saying “I don’t for one second feel like it should have been stopped, but I’m a fighter. I wanted to keep fighting.”
The fact that the bout won “Fight of the Night” honors is most likely of very little consolation to Tate.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com