Sun Tzu's Art of War: Rousey vs Zingano

The popularity of Woman’s Mixed Martial Arts continues to grow at an exponential rate. The UFC crowned its first ever Female Strawweight Champion following a successful all-female season of TUF. Along with the growing exposure, the talent pool is also blowing up, forcing veteran fighters to adapt or be left behind. This capricious nature of WMMA makes it very difficult to envisage how fights will go. Nonetheless, here is a closer look for the upcoming Bantamweight title fight between Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat “Alpha” Zingano.

1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the moral law? (Who is harder to finish?)

• If Cat Zingano is anything, it’s tough. In both her UFC fights she weathered submission attempts and brutal Ground-N-Pound to get a TKO finish in the 3^rd. Ronda Rousey fought off a nasty Rear Naked Choke attempt from Liz Carmouche and against Sara McMann she ate flush right hands and looked unfazed. Both ladies have showcased their heart in past fights and have demonstrated an indomitable spirit. If there is a finish in this fight, rest assured it will be hard earned. EVEN

2) Which of the two generals has most ability? (Who has the better camp?)

• Boxing coach Edmond Tarverdyan runs the Glendale Fighting Club. The gym is home to current champ Ronda Rousey. Under Edmond’s tutelage Rousey’s striking is rapidly improving (evident in her annihilation of Alexis Davis at UFC 175). Cat Zingano belongs to Elevation Fight Team, the brainchild of Leister Bowling. EFT runs out of the Muscle Pharm Training Center in Denver where Bowling focuses on preparing elite MMA fighters with the best coaching and equipment possible. Without a gym to run, Bowling is solely dedicated to ensuring victory for his athletes, and it is my opinion that this is the camp format of the future. Advantage: Zingano

3) With whom lie the advantages derived from heaven and earth? (What advantages surround the fight?)

• At a time when the UFC is struggling to replace the stars of yesteryear, Ronda Rousey’s stock continues to grow in the form of endorsements and movie roles. Rousey understands that her success rides on her ability to beat trained killers inside a locked cage. Despite this pressure, Ronda always looks at home in the Octagon. How well Zingano handles the lights of the main event is yet to be seen. Furthermore, this will be her first time in a 5 round fight. Furthermore, Rousey is a popular champion fighting in Las Vegas; to snag a decision against her will be very difficult. Advantage: Rousey

4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced? (Who's in better shape?)

• Rousey saw the 3^rd round once in her career when she finished Miesha Tate after a high paced 2 rounds. But Cat Zingano has far more experience gutting out prolonged wars. While the championship rounds are uncharted territory for both ladies, Zingano proved time and again that she can push through fatigue late in a fight. Advantage: Zingano

5) Which army is stronger? (Who's stronger?)

• Judging by their history, Cat Zingano looks to be more physically imposing than Rousey. Off her back, Zingano likes to check her opponent’s balance and explode to roll them over. In the clinch she will drive through girls to drag them down, and once on top Zingano puts tremendous pressure to wear down opponents and eventually break them. Rousey showed her strength when she bullied Sara McMann up against the cage and ket her there. However, Zingano is much happier to utilize her horsepower to out muscle opponents. Advantage: Zingano

6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained? (Who's more well- rounded?)

• Both competitors excel in the clinch and on the ground, and whoever can get the dominant position will likely walk away with the belt. But if neither is able to establish dominance in the clinch, look for them to break away and strike. Once in striking range Rousey’s boxing is much more fluid, but she lacks head movement and tends to bull rush when hit. Zingano, though slower, throws powerful punches to back opponents up, but leaves her head on the center line while throwing. The most blaring discrepancy in technique is how the two handle being on the bottom. Zingano tends to use her strength and explosiveness to roll opponents, but her hips are generally flat as she waits for openings. Ronda on the other hand will use her hip escape to create space to either get up or attack submissions and sweeps from awkward angles. Advantage: Rousey

7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment? (Who can finish the fight?)

• Both ladies are proven finishers. When Zingano gets the top position she unleashes a flurry of GNP that makes girls wilt. However, Rousey can finish fights from any position she gets in. Few people have Rousey's killer instinct and it’s what makes her one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. Advantage: Rousey

HOW ZINGANO WINS: The fight will be a war with both momentum shifting from one side to the other. Look for Cat to get the better of the power punches which will cause Rousey to over-commit trying to establish a clinch. From there Zingano will lateral drop the champ and start raining down elbows and punches. Zingano will find herself in bad spots along the way, but top control and damage will earn her a hard fought Split Decision.

HOW ROUSEY WINS: Look for Rousey to force the clinch and mix in her strikes to confuse Zingano. She’s going to eat some hard shots, but she’ll generally win the striking exchanges forcing Zingano to back up. Once against the cage Rousey will catch Zingano standing tall and trip her to the mat. Rousey advances position and Zingano will look to reverse the position and expose her arm. Rousey brutally collects another arm in round 2.

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