When the UFC suddenly announced Ronda Rousey‘s next opponent as Alexis Davis, it meant two things: A rumored fight with Gina Carano was on the rocks, and Cat Zingano wasn’t yet ready to return.
Following the TUF Nations Finale, UFC President Dana White explained Zingano’s current status, saying the No. 1 contender is “out for a while” as she continues to recover from personal and professional issues.
“Everybody knows what happened with her knee, and then the other tragedy that happened in her life,” said White, referring to the suicide of Zingano’s husband in January. “She’s had a lot of stuff to deal with, mentally, physically, emotionally, before she can come back and start training to fight again.”
The update was prompted by Sarah Kaufman‘s request to meet Zingano in June at UFC 174, which takes place in her native British Columbia at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. Kaufman spoke up after dominating Leslie Smith in a rematch of an Invicta FC bout one year ago on the FOX Sports 1-televised prelims of the TUF Nations Finale at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Canada.
MMAjunkie was unable to reach Zingano’s rep for comment. The 31-year-old fighter announced this past month on AXS TV that she would be ready to fight women’s bantamweight champ Rousey this summer. While White indicated Zingano remained the No. 1 contender, he seemed to hedge on setting up the fight given Zingano’s issues behind the scenes.
Zingano blew out her ACL this past May while preparing to coach “The Ultimate Fighter 18″ opposite Rousey in advance of a title fight. She earned the No. 1 contender spot with win one year ago over Miesha Tate, who went on to take the dual opportunities.
Then in January, tragedy struck when Zingano’s husband, Mauricio, committed suicide in his Westminster, Colo., home. A fund set up to help pay for funeral expenses exceeded its $10,000 goal.
Zingano (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has been active on Twitter but has largely kept away from the media since her announcement in March.
A rumored meeting between Rousey (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Carano now appears to be on ice after heated speculation that Carano would emerge from retirement to fight for the UFC title. Davis (16-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is now slated to meet the champ in the co-main event of UFC 175, which takes place July 5 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.