Cat Zingano Hints At ‘Epic’ Summer Return
No. 3-ranked former title challenger “Alpha” Cat Zingano has seemed to have been lost in the shuffle as of late.
The ever changing women’s bantamweight division has been in a state of madness as of late, but Zingano’s name hasn’t been brought up, as the 33 year old has been out of action since a February 2015 loss to then champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.
Apparently Zingano is gearing up for her return, however, recently saying in an interview that she would be making her comeback this summer. While she couldn’t reveal the specifics regarding her opponent, “Alpha” did claim that it would be ‘epic’:
“I’m not looking past this opponent – this is a very, very valid opponent, and it’s going to be an exciting fight,” Zingano told AXS TV’s Inside MMA. “And I’m super stoked for what you guys get to see. I can’t be the one to break the news. But I’ll just tell you it’s going to be epic, and it’s going to be the beginning of the summer.”
As far as the long layoff goes, Zingano admitted that she simply needed some time to regroup both mentally, as well as physically. Now rejuvenated and revitalized, she feels as if she’s currently at her best:
“I had some pretty big bumps bruises I needed to take care of, as far as physically,” Zingano said. “And just on the personal note, I’m doing all of this for me and my son, and that gives me a little more responsibility than any of these people have to deal with. I worked a lot on just the mental aspect of it. I took a trip to Thailand. I visited a bunch of different gyms that are places that I’ve always wanted to train, and get technique and education from people that I really look up to. I feel like I’ve improved 110 percent and I’m ready to go out there and showcase it.”
While the UFC has shown interest in giving “Alpha” a tune up fight, Zingano has her eyes set on a bout with reigning champion Miesha Tate, a fighter she was victorious over back in 2013:
“Being that I’ve had a year off, they really want me to come back and have a tune-up fight,” Zingano said. “The fight that I want the most, clearly, is Miesha. Seeing her win that fight (against Holm), and in the fashion she won that fight, definitely put a fire in my spirit to want to get back out there and fight her. When I blew my knee, I had just beaten Miesha, and Miesha off a loss to me was still handed my title shot. So I don’t really think the logistics of coming off a loss, or this or that, especially in this case, should really be stood by. But the UFC is going to do what they’re going to do. Obviously, that’s the fight I want.”
Who would you like to see Zingano square off with in the coming months?
