Ronda Rousey Vs. Cat Zingano UFC Women’s Title Fight Delayed Due To Back Injury

The upcoming UFC women's title fight between the defending champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat Zingano has been pushed back due to back injury. Ronda Rousey was set to defend her UFC women's bantamweight title in January against the top challenger Cat Zingano at UFC 182, but Zingano is not ready to fight the defending champion on the original fight date on January 3 in Las Vegas because of her ailing back, according to a report from "UFC Tonight" on FOX Sports 1. Zingano's management allegedly said to Ariel Helwani that the undefeated contender has been dealing with back issues, which were bad enough that she is not physically ready to fight on the original date.

In April 2013, when Zingano defeated Miesha Tate, the 32-year-old was slated to coach opposite Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter 18 and then fight for the 135-pound title. In May, Zingano suffered a torn ACL, which forced her out of the title shot. In September, Zingano returned at UFC 178 and scored a third-round TKO and defeated Amanda Nunes, which solidified herself as the top contender and earned a shot at defending champion Ronda Rousey in the women's bantamweight division.

The Nevada Athletic Commission gave Zingano a six-month suspension following her win on September 27, which forced the UFC to push the fight back to February 28 at UFC 184. As for Ronda Rousey, she is coming off a 16-second win against Alexis Davis at UFC 175.

Rousey and Zingano were set to be the co-main event to Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones at the UFC 182 but when the bout was rescheduled, the top female fighters' event status stayed the same. Ronda Rousey revealed on The MMA Hour that she wasn't happy about the move but she claimed that she just shows up to fight when the UFC tells her.

Thus far, the Rousey vs. Zingano fight was booked for UFC 184 in Los Angeles, California on February 28. Rousey, who lives in Venice and trains in Glendale, California holds the home court advantage.