Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Cat Zingano hasn’t been seen in the Octagon since her disappointingly quick loss to Ronda Rousey back at UFC 184 in February of last year, but ‘Alpha’ will soon get back to business and claims she has a major fight in the works.
“This is a very, very valid opponent, and it’s going to be an exciting fight,” Zingano said on the latest episode of 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.”
There has been a rumor in recent weeks that Zingano could be a potential first opponent for Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino, who the UFC are believed to be considering for a spot on the UFC 198 fight card in Curitiba, Brazil on May 14th.
That would undoubtedly fit the description of it being an ‘epic’ fight, but technically that’s just before the start of the summer, and confusing the issue further is the fact that Zingano also says that the UFC brass want her to have a tune-up fight after her long lay-off.
In no way could fighting former Strikeforce and current Invicta FC featherweight champion ‘Cyborg’ be considered a tune-up fight, but Zingano has previously indicated that she would be up for the challenge of facing the Brazilian star, so it’s not a possibility that can be discounted at this stage.
On the other hand, Zingano is still ranked at No.3 in the bantamweight division, so it could be that the UFC is eyeing a big fight for her there instead. While a rematch with new champion Miesha Tate is perhaps unlikely given that she’s coming off a loss, there’s plenty of other top contenders like Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes who may be under consideration.
Check out Zingano’s full interview with Inside MMA below.
