According to a Feb. 19 report from Cage Potato, the UFC fight between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano was originally set for the UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs Gustafsson card in Sweden, but it was switched to the TUF 17 finale in the United States because Swedish MMA fans may not be prepared for live women's MMA.
Garry Cook, the UFC VP in charge of UK and European operations, thought the Tate vs Zingano fight wasn’t suited to the Swedish audience because Sweden is a brand new MMA market and an extremely left-wing country.
Alexander Gustafsson has spearheaded the charge in Sweden into what has proven to be an unexpectedly lucrative market for the UFC, but the potential for the national press to dislike or misinterpret a women’s fight was felt to be too high to risk.
Tate will now fight Zingano on Apr. 13 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale, in Las Vegas, Nev.
TUF Finales always mark the crowning of a new Ultimate Fighter, but there will be real UFC gold on the line as well at the end of season 17.
UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will defend his title against John Moraga in the main event, and Tate vs Zingano will serve as the co-main.
Johnson continues to impress as he proves he is a legitimate champ; while Moraga will be looking for his ninth-straight MMA victory.
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