Cat Zingano shares details regarding MMA fighter pension bill she’s advocating

Women’s MMA icon Cat Zingano is more than just the first mother to fight in the UFC octagon. The former UFC women’s bantamweight contender recently advocated for a fighter pension bill in front of the California State Capitol. 

In a recent interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Zingano explained what the bill entailed and outlined the pension process. Iterating that the money isn’t sourced from the government, Zingano stated:

“Just so everybody knows, and this is the main question that people could have… Is worrying that it’s a pension from the government. It’s not. The money comes directly from the promoters. So every ticket that is sold, whether it’s a huge show that sells 20,000 tickets or a small show that sells 500, it’s a dollar per ticket that goes into the pension fund.”

She continued:

“Fighters get it when they’re 50 years old and they get it based on how many rounds they’ve had in the cage… In theory, it would be between 12-14 fights before you’re considered… Right now, they’re trying to make it about a $50,000 pension.” 

As a professional martial artist, Cat Zingano is well aware of the physical and financial challenges that fighters endure. She further claimed that this pension plan is better than the one professional boxers are offered and hoped she could build something even bigger in the future. 

Cat Zingano on a potential Cris Cyborg fight in October 

In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Cat Zingano revealed that she could potentially fight Cris Cyborg in October this year. 

After being released from the UFC in August 2014, ‘Alpha’ signed with Bellator just a few months later. She made her promotional debut against Gabby Holloway at Bellator 245 in September 2020 and won the fight via unanimous decision. Zingano is currently on a four-fight winning streak, last beating Leah McCourt via unanimous decision in March. 

Prior to her last fight, many fans speculated about a fight between Cat Zingano and women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg. Given that Cyborg recently signed a new contract with Bellator, it seems fans could finally have their wish granted. Speaking to Helwani, Zingano stated:

“I was told to get ready by the end of September, early October. So, I don’t have any exact date that is supposedly the opponent [Cyborg], and I don’t have a location either… I’m curious about what’s gonna happen, because I heard some different angles with what’s going on with the Bellator as a company as a whole.”