Stalking Prey

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Amanda Nunes will face Cat Zingano at UFC 178 on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but the Brazilian striker already has her eyes on Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey.

“I want everybody to see I’m ready to be the champion,” Nunes told Sherdog.com. “I’m ready to find Ronda. This fight is the most important fight in my life because I think this fight, the way I finish it, I think I have a fair shot [to fight for the title].”

Although most view Zingano as the No. 1 contender for the championship, Nunes remains confident that she can throw a wrench into the undefeated 32-year-old’s plans.

“I really want to fight the gal who can make the most noise in the show,” Nunes said. “I’m going to give my best to this fight to show the UFC that I’m ready to beat Ronda, and I know it’s going to happen.”

Nunes holds a strong 9-3 record, having won both of her fights in the UFC. She last fought at UFC Fight Night “Fight for the Troops 3” in November, when she stopped kickboxer Germaine de Randamie with first-round elbow strikes. Zingano, meanwhile, was booked to coach alongside Rousey on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” her appearance on the reality show to be followed by a title shot. However, a knee injury forced her to the sidelines. Due to the injury and the death of her husband, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Mauricio Zingano, “Alpha” has not competed since putting away Miesha Tate with third-round strikes at “The Ultimate Fighter 17” Finale in April 2013. The performance earned Zingano a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus.

Nunes and Zingano are known for their aggression, with the Brazilian being the superior striker -- she sports eight knockouts among her nine pro victories -- and the American holding the edge in the submission game. Zingano owns wins over Barb Honchak, Carina Damm and Raquel Pennington, while “Lioness” has beaten Ediane Gomes, Julia Budd and Sheila Gaff.

Born in Salvador, Bahia, Nunes began training as a child when her mother placed her in karate classes. Her uncle was a vale tudo fighter in their native Brazil.

Invicta Fighting Championships veteran Nina Ansaroff, who has trained with many of the top women in the sport during her four-year professional career, has worked alongside Nunes at the MMA Masters camp for the past two years.

“I’ve never seen her so strong and so focused since I’ve known her, and I’ve been around,” Ansaroff said. “I’m pretty sure she’s going to put on a really good show and prove that she is ready for that title shot.”

Ansaroff points out that Nunes did not have an easy upbringing and has persevered in the face of much adversity.

“She came from Brazil,” Ansaroff said. “There wasn’t much over there, and she did a lot to stay in the sport. It’s a hard sport to stay in, even over here, but with no money, no car, traveling back and forth ... it’s a hard sport to stick with and she stuck with it and that’s what she wants, and she never had a Plan B. [Fighting] has always been her main thing, and she is not stopping until she gets there. I admire that a lot.

“It’s so easy to give up on something when it’s not working your way, but she stuck with it,” she added. “It’s what she’s always wanted ever since she was 13 years old. Not many people know that. There was no Plan B. It wasn’t an accident for her. This is what she knew she was going to do.”

Zingano and Nunes were set to lock horns at Strikeforce “Melendez vs. Healy” in September 2012, but the event was canceled when Gilbert Melendez was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. Nunes feels she has improved considerably since then.

“I always look at my old fights and try to see my mistakes to get better,” she said. “If [Zingano] thinks she is going to see [and exploit] my mistakes from my old fights, then that would be very bad. I always want to grow. I always want to get better.”

To prepare for matchup with Zingano, Nunes has worked diligently on her wrestling, including takedowns. She does not discount Zingano’s standup game but sees her primarily as a wrestler. Nunes also points to her own background in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu -- she holds the rank of brown belt in both disciplines -- as a strength. Still, she hopes to keep the fight on the feet against the former two-division Ring of Fire champion.

“I’m going to try to keep it standing,” Nunes said. “I want to knock her out. That’s what I want.”