The war of words between Cris Cyborg and Cat Zingano will finally give way to a fight.
For a year or two now, the MMA stars have been at each other, lobbing claims of ducking one another. Cyborg has said Zingano wouldn’t step up. Zingano jabbed her opponent for taking a break from the sport.
All the verbal sparring will be put to rest Saturday when Cyborg defends her featherweight championship against Zingano in one of three title bouts at Bellator 300 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
“I feel thankful, happy, you know? We did a great camp. I feel we did everything to be ready, we did a great team,” Cyborg, 38, said Tuesday. “I’m excited, you know, and I’m so thankful because Bellator 300 is gonna be history and a big part of the history of the sport and the history in Bellator. It is making me really excited.”
For years, the two fought in separate divisions. Cyborg (26-2, 1 NC) has dominated at 145 pounds, with the Brazilian striking sensation becoming the sport’s first Grand Slam champion with title belts in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC and Bellator, which came in her promotion debut via a one-sided dethroning of Julia Budd via fourth-round TKO at Bellator 238 in January 2020 at The Forum.
Zingano (14-4) toiled in the UFC’s 135-pound bantamweight division for more than five years. Her 14-second armbar loss to the iconic Ronda Rousey at Staples Center in 2015 is her only other major championship fight.
But the testament to Zingano’s hallmark toughness and determination are the victories that led to that title shot. No other fighter has finishes of former UFC champs Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes.
What’s more, when Zingano punished Tate for a third-round TKO in a Fight of the Night in April 2013, she was the first mother to ever compete in the Octagon. Her victory over Nunes, another third-round TKO in September 2014, came on the heels of major knee surgery in the summer of 2013 and the suicide death of her husband in January 2014.
The Rousey loss, however, ended a 9-0 to start to her career and was the start of a three-fight skid, which Zingano doesn’t regret but acknowledges wasn’t ideal for her well-being.
“My heart was broken, my confidence was broken,” Zingano, 41, said in a recent interview. “Like I had a lot of, you know, physical and mental health issues going on. I was really struggling and fighting every single day to smile.”
Zingano underwent a major life overhaul, moving herself and her son from Colorado to San Diego in 2016. She joined Alliance MMA in Chula Vista before eventually deciding to go her own way with a team of independent coaches in 2018.
Upon moving up to featherweight, Zingano suffered a controversial first-round TKO loss to Megan Anderson after getting poked in the eye on a head kick at UFC 232 at the end of 2018. Eight months later, the UFC cut Zingano, who found her way to Bellator.
She has since rattled off four consecutive victories, the latest a grueling, grappling-heavy unanimous decision over Leah McCourt at Bellator 293 on March 31 before a partisan crowd in Temecula to earn the shot at Cyborg in her new hometown.
“I feel really lucky that I’ve established so much out here and that I’m so comfortable here. And I feel so much support, so it’ll be great,” Zingano said. “It’s nice to feel appreciated and to appreciate people back. Like I want to put on such a great show for them and do this right in front of them. I want to be the new champion right in front of all these people that have had my back ever since I came out here.”
While Cyborg makes her home in Huntington Beach, she once lived in San Diego. And the phenom, who like Zingano is unbeaten in Bellator since parting ways with the UFC in 2019 and signing the most lucrative deal in women’s MMA history, is confident Cyborg Nation will have her back Saturday.
“Nothing personal against her, nothing like this, but you know, I know she’s continuing to want to fight for the title and just it’s gonna be a great fight,” Cyborg said. “I think it’s gonna be a huge fight.”
Cyborg hasn’t fought in the cage since April 2022, opting to dabble in a boxing career with two unanimous-decision victories last year. Zingano says she was left frustrated and for a while believed her March fight with McCourt might be for an interim title.
With Cyborg back defending her belt, the champ is ready to test her all-around skills against her challenger. While she is known for her devastating striking, Cyborg points to her black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and two gold medals from the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships as a sign that she’s willing to go to the mat.
She says the key Saturday, as she’s efforted to do in all her Bellator fights, is being patient.
“I know I have five rounds to finish the fight. So I want to see the opportunities. If I have the opportunity for a submission, I can. If I feel to stay striking, I can,” Cyborg said. “I want to use the experience throughout the fight. I know she has experience too. But you know, I train real hard to see the opportunities. When I see what opportunity shows up, I know what I’ll be ready to do.”
Zingano, for her part, exudes confidence ahead of their 25-minute clash. She says she looks forward to testing Cyborg physically and mentally.
“She’s never fought anyone like me. She’s never ever put hands on anyone like me,” Zingano said. “You know, we’re completely different mentally. And I think she breaks. I think she’s not as strong in her head as she tries to lead on, you know? I don’t really have anything else to say.”
Bellator 300
Title fights: Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Brent Primus; featherweight champion Cris Cyborg vs. Cat Zingano; bantamweight champion Liz Carmouche vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
When: Saturday
Where: Pechanga Arena, San Diego
How to watch: Prelims (3:30 p.m., Bellator MMA YouTube, Showtime Sports YouTube, Pluto TV); main card (7 p.m., Showtime)
