Cat Zingano took to the cage this weekend at the TUF 17 Finale where she defeated Miesha Tate to earn herself not only number one contender status, but also a coaching gig alongside Ronda Rousey on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.
The win didn’t come without some controversy.
The referee in charge of the bout was Kim Winslow. Earlier in the evening she was officiating a match-up between Maximo Blanco and Sam Sicilia in which she gave countless warnings to Blanco for grabbing the fence. After about eight warnings there was still no penalty or point deducted.
Winslow then stepped inside the octagon for the Zingano vs. Tate match-up – the crowd gulped.
It was almost at the get-go that we heard Winslow make another warning towards Tate for grabbing the fence, which means nothing obviously. The finish was what was questioned by most. Zingano won the fight via third round TKO, after what some are calling an illegal knee. She followed that knee up with another knee and some elbows. Right as Tate was knee’d she dropped for a takedown and Winslow stepped in to stop the fight.
So was it a bad stoppage? Was the knee illegal? That’s where the MMA media come in to play. I caught up with some of the best in the business and they gave me their perspective on the fight at hand.
Shawn W. Smith (MMASucka.com) – “I had no problem with the stoppage. Zingano was landing more damage as the round wore on and Tate was very close to defenseless. She was getting battered. I applaud Winslow on making the tough call and stopping that fight.”
E. Spencer Kyte (Keyboard Kimura at The Province) – “I was fine with it; might have been a little early, but Tate was getting crushed. I’d rather it be stopped a little early than have to watch Tate take three or four blasts when he’s prone.”
Damon Martin (Bleacher Report) – “I have no problem with the stoppage. Tate was definitely hurt and it seemed like more punishment would have been unnecessary damage. That said the events leading up to that were poor judgment and execution by referee Kim Winslow”
Jason Durance (The MM eh? Show!) – “It looked like Tate was in a bad way. I think it was an okay call. It’s a bummer if Tate could have somehow came back, but you never know. She might have been able to hold on, but at the same time, she could have been punished a lot more…and it’s the referees job to ensure the fighters safety, so yes… it was an okay call.”
Adam Martin (Sportsnet.ca)– “I felt the stoppage was justified. A fighter can only take so many undefended shots to the head before the referee is force to step in. Just because a fighter is not knocked out clean doesn’t mean a fight shouldn’t be stopped. Tate was still conscious but once that last knee caught Tate and she hit the ground I believe Kim Winslow stepped in at the right time. I give Winslow a lot of grief usually but she made the right call here as far as the timing of the stoppage. Just my 2 cents.”
Steve Muehlhausen (Between the Ropes) – “The stoppage was fair, she was out on her feet.”
Erik Fontanez (GracieMag.com) – “Early stoppage. Based on why Winslow called the fight, she should have done the same when Zingano was shook in the first round.”
Stephie Daniels – (MMA Sentinel) – “Miesha was getting destroyed. For once, Winslow made the right call.”
Justin Faux (MMASucka.com/MMAKanvas.com) – “I’ve watched it a few times back, if you go by frame, yes her three fingers were on the mat but at the same time, to the naked eye that was real hard to catch. Typically, I’m the first to crab at Kim Winslow for sucking at her job but in this case I’m not going to, that was a tough position and she let it go. My biggest issue was the stoppage, Tate was not only defending herself but she was going for a takedown.”
Denny Hodge (Pro MMA Now) – “Kim usually let’s fights go longer, but she has also told me that she treats each fighter differently based on what they talk about backstage. I personally think it was a good stoppage. Cat had landed that first knee that caused Miesha to turtle, and Kim was screaming for her to fight back, so once she ate those standing knees I think Kim was watching even closer and was justified to stop it after that big elbow landed.”
Ian Bain (MMAOpinion.co.uk) – “I think the knee was illegal but I think on this occasion it is tough to criticize Kim as it was happening at such a frantic pace. I thought Miesha was shooting for a takedown when it was stopped but she had been eating a lot of knees before that, personally I would have gave Miesha a little more time but hindsight is always a wonderful thing!!”
Media who thought the fight stoppage was OK: 6
Media who thought the fight stoppage was EARLY: 3
Give us your thoughts below about whether you thought the fight was stopped too early.
[polldaddy poll=7036419]
(Photo by Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)
