Miesha Tate hopes Cat Zingano fight sets up Ronda Rousey rematch

The UFC's commitment to women's MMA will last longer than a single fight.

With newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey slated to fight Liz Carmouche on Feb. 23 in a historic UFC 157 pay-per-view headliner, the organization announced its second women's fight Monday.

Miesha Tate (13-3), a former champion in recently closed sister promotion Strikeforce, will head to the UFC to fight fellow 135-pounder Cat Zingano (7-0) at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13 in Las Vegas, officials announced.

For Tate, it's an opportunity to notch a win against a notable opponent and set up a possible (and likely lucrative) rematch with Rousey, who took Tate's belt in March 2012 with her trademark armbar.

"I told (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby I want to fight whoever would get me to a title shot the quickest," Tate told USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Monday. "Cat is undefeated, and I'm No. 2 in the world in my division and No. 3 pound for pound. But I have to show I improved enough to get (a rematch with Rousey)."

Despite announcing Rousey as a champion in December and giving her a lucrative PPV slot in next week's event, UFC President Dana White initially promised no further developments with the upstart women's division. Although major organizations such as Strikeforce and Bellator MMA occasionally have featured women's bouts, the UFC has gone without any since its 1993 launch. White, in fact, suggested it was an experiment that "could last for years, or this could last a year."

Tate, though, remained optimistic she and other female fighters would get their opportunity. After signing with the influential First Round Management team this past month, Tate was offered the Zingano fight a few weeks later.

"It actually came around really quickly," she said.

Tate, 26, made her pro debut in 2007, and was a member of her high school's male wrestling team who also won a women's state championship in Washington. In college, she eventually turned her attention to MMA, and in 2007, she made her pro debut. Her only career losses have come to notables (Kaitlin Young, Sarah Kaufman and Rousey).

Her UFC debut is anything but a gimme as she meets Zingano, 30, a well-rounded fighter who also has jiu-jitsu and muay Thai experience.

"She's a really tough opponent," Tate said. "But that's what it takes at this level. That's what it takes to get a shot at the belt."

In addition to Tate vs. Zingano, the TUF 17 Finale features flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga, as well as the TUF 17 middleweight tournament final. The main card airs live on FX.