When Cat Zingano was forced to pull out of her The Ultimate Fighter coaching role opposite Ronda Rousey, Sara McMann looked to be her logical successor. But logic plays a diminished role in determining rank and title shots these days, so the nod instead went to Miesha Tate, who is coming off a loss and also owns a recent loss to Rousey herself.
For her part, McMann has no problem being passed over as Rousey‘s counterpart on The Ultimate Fighter. She wants to earn her shot at the title inside the Octagon.
Speaking with Pro MMA Now, McMann asserted, “Personally, I would rather just have the title shot rather than go through The Ultimate Fighter.” She went on to say, “I don’t really want to be on The Ultimate Fighter.”
It’s a moot point, as the UFC opted for the drama that would come with a Tate vs. Rousey season over the competitiveness that a McMann vs. Rousey season might reap. And now that McMann has been booked to take on Sarah Kaufman this August, she’ll have to once again prove that she deserves a shot at the strap the old-fashioned way: by winning.
Looking at the current landscape of the UFC women’s bantamweight class, the necessity of a win over Kaufman should be minimal. Already, McMann is the clear choice for a title shot (minus the injured Zingano) right now.
She is ready for a title shot, but that won’t come yet. The more important component of the equation is, when will the UFC be ready for her to have a title shot?
Pragmatically speaking, a win over Kaufman makes solidifies McMann’s station as No. 2. But that doesn’t guarantee her anything, as Zingano may retain her place in line when she returns, forcing McMann to put another victory under her belt before getting her opportunity.
Even though she’s ready for the challenge, it might take a win over Kauffman—then maybe another win—before that translates to the opportunity.
That translation makes for a frustrating, yet simple equation. All she has to do is continue to win and she’ll eventually get what she should already have.
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