Cat Zingano

At 42 years old, Cat Zingano has this physical status:

Cathilee Deborah "Cat" Zingano (born July 1, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

(TKO): She became the first woman to win a UFC fight by technical knockout on April 13, 2013.

She was ranked seventh in the official UFC bantamweight rankings at the time of her release from the UFC.

Early life

Zingano began training in wrestling at the age of 12. Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado, where she first became interested in combat sports after joining the wrestling team. She then competed on both the University of Cumberlands (2001) and MacMurray College women's wrestling teams, becoming a 4-time All-American and National Champion.

Zingano discovered Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) in 2007, shortly after starting to compete and winning numerous tournaments, including the World Championships (Mundials) in Los Angeles and the Rio de Janeiro State Championships in Brazil, as well as numerous other State championships in Colorado.

Zingano won her first amateur Mixed Martial Arts fight in October 2007 after doing a few months of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and immediately knew that MMA was something she wanted to compete in.

Personal life

In 2010, Zingano married Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's black belt Mauricio Zingano. On January 13, 2014, her husband committed suicide. Brayden (born 2006), making her the first mother to compete in the UFC for the first time. She established a scholarship fund to help students who were recently widowed with $10,000 ahead of her second Bellator MMA tournament.

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Mixed martial arts career

Zingano made her pro MMA debut on June 13, 2008 at Ring of Fire 32, defeating Karina Taylor with an armbar in the first round.

Zingano defeated Carina Damm at Crowbar MMA: The Winter Brawl in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on December 10, 2010. In the second round, she defeated Damm by TKO.

Zingano came back from a humiliating defeat at Takayo Hashi's Fight to Win: Outlaws, May 14, 2011. In the third round, she shocked Hashi by knocking out from a slam.

Zingano had expected to face Anita Rodriguez at Invicta Fighting Championships 1, but she was forced to withdraw from the sport due to an injury.

Zingano had agreed to compete against Amanda Nunes in Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy on September 29, 2012, but the match was postponed when Gilbert Melendez, who was supposed to protect his title against Pat Healy, sustained a knee injury in preparation that necracked his withdrawal from the program.

Zingano defeated Raquel Pennington at Invicta FC 3 on October 6, 2012: Penne vs. Sugiyama vs. Sugiyama. In the second round, she defeated Pennington by a back-naked choke.

Zingano would take part in the second women's match in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history in February 2013. At The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13, 2013, she defeated Miesha Tate. In the third round, Zingano defeated Tate by TKO. The match was dubbed Fight of the Night.

Zingano, the winner of the tournament, was expected to become a mentor on The Ultimate Fighter 18 against Ronda Rousey and be the next challenger for the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship. Zingano had been ruled out as coach/opponent for Rousey on May 28, but she had suffered a knee injury earlier in the month that required surgery and had been replaced by Tate. Zingano underwent PRP (Platelet-rich plasma) and stem cell therapy on both of her knees on October 3, 2013.

Zingano returned to the Octagon in the fall of 2014 after almost a year and a half away from the sport due to injury. Amanda Nunes was defeated by UFC 178 on September 27, 2014. Zingano came back in the second round to win via TKO in the third round after losing the first round. I was dizzy after the fight; I couldn't be in light for a month. Since my pituitary gland was knocked around, my hormones were all messed up, I put on like 30 pounds. I had never been struck like this in a fight. It was like, oh, I am my son's only parent, and I was so afraid. If I'm all messed up and can't drive, and I can't work and say this injury is so bad I can't fight anymore, I can't even walk anymore. My brain is mush and I can barely talk, and my son's life is dependent on my health."

At UFC 184 for the women's bantamweight championship, Ronda Rousey and Zingano met. In the fight's first seconds, Zingano was able to be dismissed within seconds.

On July 9, 2016, Zingano returned to face Julianna Pea at UFC 200. Judges all gave Pea a 29-28 rating, ending the match by decision.

Zingano faced Ketlen Vieira on March 3, 2018, at UFC 222. She lost the contest by a split decision.

Marion Reneau was then defeated at UFC Fight Night 133 on July 14, 2018. She was able to win by a unanimous vote.

Zingano debuted Megan Anderson in a featherweight match at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018. She lost the match in a strange manner after suffering an eye injury from an Anderson kick that didn't allow her to continue. Zingano's eyeball grazed Anderson's toe, rendering her unable to move due to blurred vision. Although the injury seemed to be serious, Zingano later reported that her eye's health was improving. Zingano appealed the loss on the grounds of Unified Rules of MMA's definition of eye gouging, which was revealed on January 14, 2019. At the commission meeting on February 19, 2019, CSAC upheld Anderson's victory.

Zingano had been suspended from the UFC as a result of his release on August 14, 2019.

Zingano had signed with Bellator MMA on October 29, 2019.

Zingano made her career debut at Bellator 245 on September 11, 2020, defeating Gabby Holloway and Gabby Holloway. She was victorious in the fight by unanimous vote.

On April 9, 2021, Zingano met Olivia Parker at Bellator 256. She defeated the competition by a first-round armbar submission.

Zingano had intended to face Pam Sorenson at Bellator 276 on March 11, 2022. Zingano was also compelled to leave due to sickness, so the match was called off. On June 24, 2022, Bellator 282 was rebooked for the match. She was voted unanimously in the fight.

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