UFC
Respectful Champ Ronda Rousey to challenger Cat Zingano: "Get ready for the fight of your life"
Oct 23, 2014 - 11:05:35 AM Respectful Champ Ronda Rousey to challenger Cat Zingano: "Get ready for the fight of your life"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Ronda Rousey will defend her UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship on Jan. 3 against Cat Zingano, and the reigning Champ is very excited for the challenge.

Rousey believes Zingano represents the best the UFC has to offer her right now, and that's the type of challenge she feels she needs to thrive. In a post on Instagram, Rousey commented on the matchup, and in a respectful tone told Zingano to prepare for the fight of her life.

Here's what she wrote:

It's official - the fight @alphacatzingano and I have been waiting far [too] long for is going down Jan 3rd on #ufc182 - every [ounce] of respect I have for her is going to be poured into the effort to end her undefeated streak - real champions don't want belts, they want to test themselves against the best the world has to offer. On Jan 3 two champions will be fighting and I'm going to show Cat what the best in the world is. I genuinely hope that Cat, the fans, and I all walk away unscathed and fulfilled that night. But fights are chaotic - you never know ;) I won't say "good luck" but rather "good skill" to Cat. Get ready for the fight of your life. #RouseyvsZingano

The bout serves as the co-main event for UFC 182, coming under the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship matchup between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.

Penick's Analysis: As Zingano was supposed to have this matchup last year, both her and Rousey have had one another in their thoughts for quite some time. Rousey seems to be taking things a fight at a time, and putting whatever motivation into her head that she needs to keep getting back in the cage. She's been so dominant that she has to create challenges in fights for herself, it seems, because she's got other options outside of competing now, and it would be easy to try to take those and move on in her life. That said, she's still a competitor at heart, and she wants to continue to prove herself the best against whomever the UFC can put in front of her. This Zingano fight is another important step in establishing her legacy, and though she's going to be heavily favored once again, she's not going to take Zingano lightly.