Amanda Nunes believes win over Cat Zingano will prove she is ready for Ronda Rousey

Although UFC 178 will mark the long-awaited return of top women's bantamweight competitor Cat Zingano, Brazil's Amanda Nunes will look to halt her opponent's title aspirations with an upset victory in their three-round contest.

Nunes, who is 2-0 in the UFC with stoppage wins over Sheila Gaff and Germaine de Randamie, believes a TKO win over Zingano will be the exact boost necessary to propel her towards a potential title shot.

"I want to show in this fight that I'm ready for Ronda and for the title," Nunes told MMAFighting.com. "This is the fight that I needed to prove I'm ready to fight for the UFC title."

Nunes is aware that Rousey may be preoccupied with the potential return of Gina Carano, which according to UFC President Dana White, would keep Ronda from fighting other opponents until sometime in 2015. To add to her chances, Nunes decided to implement some of Chael Sonnen's famed tactics to get herself a marque fight.

"(Sonnen) fought for two UFC titles doing this, so I will do everything I can to promote myself and get there," she said. "Cat Zingano will get me right up there. I'm coming off two wins in the UFC, I'm already ranked, and I knew they would give me a girl that was better ranked. I kept asking for this fight on Twitter, tweeting to Dana White and Sean Shelby, and it worked."

The Brazilian was adamant that a convincing win over Zingano would be all that she needs to secure the title shot against Rousey.

"I'm focused on Cat Zingano, and I depend on this fight to get to the title. I will do my best in there. I want a quick win. After that, I'm fighting for the title."

UFC 178 takes place September 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.