Zingano uses takedowns to win Bellator debut
Cat Zingano was victorious in her Bellator debut.
The former UFC title challenger defeated Gabrielle Holloway via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-26) in the co-main event of Bellator 245 on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Zingano said after getting her hand raised that she hopes to get a featherweight title shot - likely against current champion Cris Cyborg - down the road.
"I want my ride to the top," Zingano said in her postfight interview. "I'm ready to lead this division, lead this promotion, and whatever I need to do to get there, I'm ready. I'm excited to have gotten this first one out of the way ... But I'm not here in the game of bronze or silver; I want gold."
Zingano used a wrestling-heavy approach to get the job done against Holloway. "Alpha" landed her first takedown less than a minute in and continued to get her opponent to the mat throughout the 15-minute affair.
Zingano mixed in some ground-and-pound, but she didn't do a ton of damage against Holloway overall. Her best shots were arguably knees on the ground at the end of the second round.
The 38-year-old faced adversity in the third round, with Holloway reversing the position and getting into full mount. Holloway pummeled Zingano with ground-and-pound, clearly aware she was down on the scorecards. However, Zingano ended up returning to top control and rode out the rest of the fight on Holloway's back, raining down ground-and-pound.
Considered one of the best women's MMA fighters when she was in her prime, Zingano signed with Bellator last October. She hadn't fought since December 2018, losing to Megan Anderson in the UFC via TKO due to an eye injury. Zingano hadn't picked up a victory in over two years until Friday's contest.
"Alpha" is the last fighter to beat current UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes and also holds a win over former UFC women's bantamweight titleholder Miesha Tate. Zingano challenged Ronda Rousey for the 135-pound belt in 2015, losing via submission in 14 seconds.