Cat Zingano Resumes Sparring, Welcomes Fight With “Cyborg”
Top-ranked UFC women’s bantamweight Cat Zingano has had a rough run of luck since winning her title shot by defeating Miesha Tate in a war at last April’s TUF 17 Finale.
The victory got her a coaching spot of TUF 18 opposite divisional champ Ronda Rousey, but unfortunately Zingano was forced to withdraw from the season and subsequent title fight after requiring surgery for a torn ACL she suffered in training.
With huge news supposedly coming about Rousey’s next fight, Zingano could now be left out in the cold. She was rumored as Rousey’s next challenge sometime late in the summer, but with “Cyborg” and Gina Carano rumors abound, that bout is far from set in stone.
Still, Zingano is trying to remain positive about the situation. Appearing on AXS TV’s “Inside MMA,” the No. 1 contender said she’ll be ready to fight Rousey whenever the chance arises:
“When the time comes, I’m going to be ready; absolutely. I feel strong. I’m definitely going to come out ready to fight.”
Talk inevitably shifted to Zingano’s pending return, for which no set date has been confirmed. “Alpha” gave her take on the subject:
“I know Ronda had something about maybe fighting at the end of the summer, and that sounds pretty good to me, too.”
It’s sounding like there is more and more red tape to bypass in order to get Rousey vs. Zingano booked, but for her part, Zingano said is ready to train to be her best:
“Good to spar, good to condition, good to do everything I need to do to fight at my top.”
Host Kenny Rice asked Zingano about the current threats to her long-awaited title shot, wondering if she ever felt rushed to return in order to keep her shot at the belt:
“Absolutely. The thing is, I’m here to fight. Yes, it’s about who, obviously I want to beat the best and I want to fight everybody, but when it comes down to it, I wanna fight “Cyborg”; I want to fight everyone that there is in that weight division. It’s about the fight; it’s not about who, it’s about getting out there and doing what I love. So, I think a fight between me and “Cyborg” would be fun, a fight between me and Ronda would be fun.”
There’s no question that those fights would be fun; it’s just a matter of getting Zingano back in the Octagon at her full potential. Will she be the next to challenge the dominant “Rowdy”? And if so, does she stand a chance?
