After Bellator 256 win, Cat Zingano happy being a title contender once again

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Cat Zingano woke up Friday morning and received some motivation from her son before her Bellator 256 fight.

Zingano’s son had his first high school wrestling match one night earlier. She’d have been there if not for the fact that parents aren’t allowed to attend because of COVID-19 restrictions. While it was a bummer not being there, she still got to watch – and it gave her a jolt before facing Olivia Parker.

“I woke to the video of him getting a pin, and I was so excited for him, because he was excited for (himself) too,” Zingano said later Friday night at the Bellator 256 post-fight news conference. “I didn’t get to to be there, but it inspired me to want to get a ‘pin’ tonight, too, so we can hug it out and high five and go get pizza over the finishes. That was awesome. He’s everything.”

Zingano (12-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) got the job done in her featherweight fight at Mohegan Sun Arena, displaying a slick ground game before earning an armbar submission win over Parker in the first round. The win was Zingano’s first submission in nearly nine years when she beat Raquel Pennington with a rear-naked-choke under the Invicta FC banner.

For this fight, Zingano said she went back to her roots and put in a lot of time working on her grappling. She even earned her jiu-jitsu brown belt during training camp.

“This is a very sweet win. To get a finish, I’ve always loved that thrill of the quit,” Zingano said. “So it was really good to get a finish. It’s been a minute. So I’m really happy to have that. I feel good.”

With two wins in her first two Bellator appearances, Zingano probably can expect a 145-pound title shot next. Champion Cris Cyborg is set to defend her belt in a rematch with Leslie Smith on May 21 at Bellator 259.

Zingano believes she’s earned her spot and would welcome a title fight against either woman.

“I think I’ve done enough over time to get a shot at the winner,” Zingano said. “With this performance, who knows? I know that I’m a lot more experienced coming into this fight. … I’ve almost locked horns with all of these girls at a certain point. It’ll be beautiful that it gets to happen over here.

“All of these girls are a tough test. Really, the fighter I’m fighting out there is always me. It’s always how I’m going to show up. I have what it takes to beat all of these girls, but it comes down to preparation, it comes down to mindset, and just being my best self that night.”