Cat Zingano’s long-rumored title bout with Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.
The Brazilian recently came out and announced that her rumored bout with Cat Zingano would not be occurring. Cyborg claimed in an interview with MMA reporter James Lynch that the former UFC title challenger turned the bout down.
In turn, Zingano took to social media to give her side of the story. ‘Alpha’ said on Twitter that Cyborg is refusing to do a drug test for the fight. Thus explaining her side of why the Bellator women’s featherweight title bout hasn’t been scheduled.
It’s worth noting that Cyborg has endured previous controversy when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs. The former Strikeforce champion failed a drug test for steroids in 2011. The failure resulted in her being stripped of her 145lb title.
Hearing @criscyborg is refusing to drug test
— Alpha Cat Zingano (@CatZingano) January 26, 2022
The announcement that a potential Cyborg vs. Zingano bout will not be happening is a surprise. Bellator president Scott Coker announced last year that the featherweight title bout was being targeted for this calendar year. However, it seems that the bout will not come to fruition.
Both women have cemented their places as some of the best fighters in Bellator since moving over. Zingano signed with the promotion in 2019 and has fought twice since then. She’s picked up two wins over Gabby Holloway and Olivia Parker to earn the title opportunity.
Cyborg, on the other hand, also signed to Bellator in 2019. She’s picked up four victories in the Bellator cage, all coming the way of finish. In the process, she secured the Bellator women’s featherweight championship. Her most recent outing to the cage saw her defeat Sinead Kavanagh via first-round KO at Bellator 271 in November 2021.
What do you think of Cat Zingano’s claim about Cris Cyborg ahead of a possible title fight?