‘No Disrespect’- Cris Cyborg on Why She Called Out Cat Zingano

Published 05/22/2021, 10:27 AM EDT

Former UFC featherweight champion and the current Bellator women’s featherweight champion of the world, Cris Cyborg, continued her dominance over women’s MMA with a win over Leslie Smith at Bellator 259. She knocked Smith out in the fifth round after a long fight which she dominated from start to finish.

Smith showed some great heart in standing there and taking all the punishment, but ultimately, it wasn’t good enough. Cyborg got the win and defended her title for the second time. She now has a record of 24-2, with her last loss coming against Amanda Nunes in 2018.

After her win, Cyborg called out former UFC veteran Cat Zingano, who is ranked number three in the official Bellator rankings for the women’s featherweight division. She elaborated on her callout in her post-fight press conference after an interviewer asked her to do so.

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“I’m a sixteen years fighter and did a lot of experience, and you cannot be a goat if you (are) scared of the ‘cat.’ So, I asked to see if Scott Coker would agree for me,” she answered.

However, she clarified that she had all the respect in the world for the American fighter and called her out only because she is a great competitor. “I would like to fight Cat Zingano. No disrespect in her, I know she’s a real fighter, and I think it’s going to be a great fight between us,” Cyborg concluded.

Cris Cyborg vs. Cat Zingano: How do they match up against one another

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The Brazilian fighter is one of the greatest female fighters in the history of MMA. She now has 19 knockouts in her 24 wins and has looked invincible other than her loss to Amanda Nunes. On the other hand, Zingano has a record of 12-4 and lost three fights in a row after her humiliating loss to Ronda Rousey in 15 seconds.

However, she has bounced back well and is 2-0 in her two fights with Bellator. She submitted Olivia Parker in the first round in her last fight to announce herself as a candidate for the featherweight crown. Fans would be delighted to see a fight between these two, and it’s highly unlikely that the fight will go the distance.

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Do you think that Cat Zingano can beat Cris Cyborg?

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Written by:

Aniket Awasthi is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. This STEM undergraduate combines an insatiable urge to write with his admiration for MMA and the UFC in general to enhance his journalism. He calls charismatic names like Chael Sonnen and 'The Count' Michael Bisping as his favorite fighters, but he is a great admirer of the rise of Israel Adesanya ever since he fought Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221.

‘No Disrespect’- Cris Cyborg on Why She Called Out Cat Zingano

Cris Cyborg vs. Cat Zingano: How do they match up against one another

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