Former UFC title challenger Cat Zingano signs with Bellator

Cat Zingano is the newest addition to the Bellator roster.

Zingano, a former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger, has signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion where she will compete at featherweight. A promotion official confirmed the signing with MMA Junkie on Tuesday after a report from ESPN.

Zingano (10-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was released from the UFC in August after an eight-fight stint with the promotion.

In her UFC debut at the The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, Zingano earned much attention for her “Fight of the Night” victory against Miesha Tate. Zingano won the bout with a third-round TKO, which set her up for a UFC 178 matchup with now-champion Amanda Nunes in September 2014.

After she defeated Nunes by third-round finish, Zingano earned a title shot at then-champion Ronda Rousey. The bout between Zingano and Rousey lasted a mere 14 seconds. In a wild opening exchange, Rousey rolled and submitted Zingano with her signature armbar.

From there, Zingano dropped back-to-back fights to contenders Julianna Pena and Ketlen Vieira, both by decision. In July 2018, Zingano picked up her first win in almost four years when she defeated Marion Reneau by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 133.

But in her most recent fight this past December, Zingano was defeated by Megan Anderson via TKO after suffering an eye injury. As Zingano attempted to dodge a kick by the 6-foot Australian, she caught a toe in the eye. The fight was stopped when Zingano covered up, unable to continue.

Zingano’s attempts to appeal the loss on the same grounds as a finger poke to the eye didn’t yield any success, leaving her with four losses in her past five fights, and just the one win for the 37-year-old in nearly five years.

At this time, no debut date or opponent has been announced for Zingano.