The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale's Fight of the Night saw women's Bantamweights Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano battling to become not only the next contender, but also the next TUF coach opposite champion Ronda Rousey. The two went back and forth in the three-round affair. Finally, Zingano grabbed a Muay Thai clinch in round 3 and blasted Tate with a series of knees and a standing elbow before referee Kim Winslow stopped the fight.
Shortly after the fight, Tate came out to protest Winslow's decision to stop the action. She claimed that she was trying to follow the ref's instructions by shooting for a takedown and was still in the fight. On Monday, MMA Junkie reported UFC president Dana White's take on the end of the bout:
"She was in a bad position; I think it was a good stoppage," White said of Tate. "People can say her hand was down and everything else, but she just ate six, seven, eight knees. It was time for the fight to be stopped.
"I'm not a big fan of the ref who reffed that fight; there's a lot of stuff that that referee doesn't see," White said. "But I have absolutely no beef whatsoever with that stoppage."
With the dust now settled, Zingano will go on to coach opposite Rousey in TUF 18, which will be the series' premier on Fox Sports 1. The two will likely fight in December following the end of the season. Tate's next opponent hasn't been set yet.
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