Cat Zingano believes if she can fight at optimal health, then she’ll be unstoppable. “Alpha” is hoping to someday challenge Cris Cyborg for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s featherweight title. While she’s lost two straight bouts, Zingano can still made an immediate impact on the thin women’s 145-pound division. During a recent appearance on […]
Cat Zingano believes if she can fight at optimal health, then she’ll be unstoppable. “Alpha” is hoping to someday challenge Cris Cyborg for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s featherweight title. While she’s lost two straight bouts, Zingano can still made an immediate impact on the thin women’s 145-pound division. During a recent appearance on […]
Cat Zingano was tuning in quite closely to this past weekend’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 card, and more specifically to the women’s featherweight title bout between Cris Cyborg and Tonya Evinger, which Cyborg won via third round stoppage. Zingano, a former bantamweight title challenger, was actually a possible opponent for Cyborg, but she wasn’t […]
Cat Zingano was tuning in quite closely to this past weekend’s (July 29, 2017) UFC 214 card, and more specifically to the women’s featherweight title bout between Cris Cyborg and Tonya Evinger, which Cyborg won via third round stoppage.
Zingano, a former bantamweight title challenger, was actually a possible opponent for Cyborg, but she wasn’t going to be healthy in time to fight at UFC 214. The fight, however, is still one she’d like to land, and after watching Evinger take on Cyborg, Zingano feels as if she has an ‘answer’ for the Brazilian slugger:
“This weekend I feel like I got to learn a lot watching this fight with Tonya, you know, seeing Tonya control the pace and seeing the fact that Cyborg had a handful with that girl, [which] I actually didn’t expect.” Zingano told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.
“Me and Tonya used to have to wrestle each other in college so I knew she was strong and tough, but I didn’t necessarily see it transfer over to MMA – as I’ve seen in wrestling. But she obviously pulled it together, and that’s why she’s a champion at 135 [pounds] and I felt she did a pretty good job against Cyborg, and at least she’s tough, you know, at the very least. And watching that fight I was like, ‘Man, I have something for that, I have and answer to that,’ and for everything that didn’t work for Tonya. Watching that fight opened up my eyes to some things and it just made me more excited to get in there with that girl. I think the match up is one of the century and I have what it takes to take Cyborg down, if anyone does.”
Gary A. Vasquez for USA TODAY Sports
Zingano hasn’t been very active over the last few years, but when she’s healthy, she feels as if she’s still one of the best in the world, and she believes a fight with Cyborg is a ‘winnable’ fight for her:
“With Cyborg, this is a winnable fight for me,” Zingano explained. “When I’m healthy, none of these girls [can] deal with me, not one, so that’s what I’m looking for. Going into a fight with Cyborg, you need to be as on point as possible. She’s got her advantages – whatever, arguably fair or unfair – and I just know that If I’m at 100 percent, she probably can’t even touch me and those are things that are in consideration when trying to achieve my goal.”
And at the end of the day, if “Alpha” Cat can’t score a bout with Cyborg, she’s hoping to fight bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, who she happens to own a win over:
“The two biggest people on my radar at this point are Amanda Nunes and Cyborg because I beat Amanda, and I feel like she should want to fight me,” Zingano said. “I want to go up in weight, but I also want to stay active in the 135-pound division when the time is right because the 145 [pound division] is not extremely established yet.”
Cris Cyborg is finally a UFC champion. This past weekend (Sat. July 29, 2017) the Brazilian knockout artist added yet another finish to her record when she stopped Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger in the third round of their UFC featherweight title fight at the UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV). After landing a slew of […]
This past weekend (Sat. July 29, 2017) the Brazilian knockout artist added yet another finish to her record when she stopped Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger in the third round of their UFC featherweight title fight at the UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV). After landing a slew of hard shots throughout the first and second round, Cyborg was finally able to finish Evinger off in just under two minutes.
Cyborg is considered one of the greatest female mixed martial arts (MMA) practitioners of all time, alongside former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. “The Rowdy One’s” reign over the 135-pound division came to an end in 2015 when she was knocked out by Holly Holm in the second round of their title meeting. She attempted to return last December against current champion Amanda Nunes, but was made quick work of after being put away in just 48 seconds.
Prior to her loss, Rousey had amassed a 12 fight undefeated streak since the beginning of her MMA career, winning each fight via stoppage and only making it out of the first round once. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz recently joined Submission Radio following his longtime friend Cris Cyborg’s UFC title win, and claimed that the Brazilian is a far better champion than Rousey who was ‘hand-fed opponents’ (quotes via MMA Mania):
“Ronda was a flash in the pan. And nothing against her, she was a great champ at the time, but when you’re getting hand-fed opponents, it is what it is. But Cris is not a person to submit people and give them an opportunity to do it again, she’s a person to knock people out. As you heard tonight at the press conference, people comparing her to a Mike Tyson.
“But now she’s a confident person, is keeping her hips low and yeah, she swings like Mike Tyson. All of her sparring partners, they’re all men. We don’t have any women sparring partners with her, and when they do it’s just a confidence booster for her, and I’ve got to thank all of them for coming in and working with her. Cris is finally the UFC world champ.”
Cris Cyborg feels Holly Holm and Cat Zingano missed out on their best chance to defeat her. Cyborg captured the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s featherweight title this past Saturday night (July 29). She earned a third-round TKO victory over Tonya Evinger. It was Cyborg’s first fight at 145 pounds in the UFC. Before the […]
Cris Cyborg feels Holly Holm and Cat Zingano missed out on their best chance to defeat her. Cyborg captured the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s featherweight title this past Saturday night (July 29). She earned a third-round TKO victory over Tonya Evinger. It was Cyborg’s first fight at 145 pounds in the UFC. Before the […]
Leading into UFC 214, Cris Cyborg already had her next fight in mind and coming out of the event, she still wants to fight former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm. After scoring a third round TKO victory of former Invicta bantamweight titleholder Tonya Evinger on the main card of 214 to win the promotion’s featherweight […]
Leading into UFC 214, Cris Cyborg already had her next fight in mind and coming out of the event, she still wants to fight former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm.
After scoring a third round TKO victory of former Invicta bantamweight titleholder Tonya Evinger on the main card of 214 to win the promotion’s featherweight title on Saturday night, the newly crowned champion told FOX Sports 1 that Holm made the most sense in terms of her next assignment.
“My next move, I’d like a fight with Holly Holm,” said Cyborg (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting). “I think she is a great fighter and she is a bigger girl, just like me. She’s (fought) already at 145. I think it’s a fight that all fans are going to like because she is a striker. Let’s do that, maybe next year, I don’t know.”
During the UFC 214 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White claimed that Holm was “interested” in a showdown with Cyborg.
“I was just talking to Holly Holm back there…and it seems like she’s interested,” said White. “I like Holly versus Cyborg. I think it’s a good fight.”
Although there are not many fighters in the women’s featherweight division, Cyborg believes that the weight class will go the same way that the bantamweights evolved during Ronda Rousey’s reign as champion.
“It was the same with 135 pounds, (UFC) started with Ronda and then they started building it a little bit and a little bit (more). Now they’ve made it a division. I think with 145 it will be the same,” Cyborg said at the event’s post-fight press conference.
“I’m happy to be a part of this. I’m happy to fight anyone that the UFC put in front of me. I am going to keep training, keep ready. I’ll keep training, keep on beating the number one contender and always training to keep the belt.”
If you recall, Megan Anderson was supposed to be Cyborg’s opponent at the event, but that bout was scrapped due to the former Invicta featherweight champion having to withdraw from the bout because of personal reasons.
Cyborg stated that she would be open to fighting Anderson in Australia next year.
“I don’t know about Megan,” she said. “I accepted a fight with her. I don’t know if she cannot fight in the USA, maybe I can go to Australia and fight with her. I want to fight. I don’t know who it’s going to be (next). I never choose my opponents. I just wait to see who UFC is going to put next.”
Tito Ortiz believes Cris Cyborg is ready to take women’s mixed martial arts by storm. Last night (July 29), Cyborg captured her first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title. She finished Tonya Evinger in the third round to become the women’s featherweight champion. Ortiz, who is a long-time friend of Cyborg, was recently interviewed by Submission […]
Tito Ortiz believes Cris Cyborg is ready to take women’s mixed martial arts by storm. Last night (July 29), Cyborg captured her first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title. She finished Tonya Evinger in the third round to become the women’s featherweight champion. Ortiz, who is a long-time friend of Cyborg, was recently interviewed by Submission […]
