‘Make sure it’s a safe fight’ - Zingano wants independent testing against Cyborg

Cat Zingano calls for independent drug testing if she does end up clinching a title shot against Cris Cyborg.

Former UFC title contender Cat Zingano has found renewed success under Bellator. Now on a two-fight win streak, “Alpha” Cat will look to extend it to three when she faces Pam Sorenson this Friday at Bellator 282.

Should the 39-year-old Zingano emerge victorious, she could land a title shot against reigning title holder Cris Cyborg. And if that happens, she wants the champ to undergo independent testing.

“Independent testing for both of us — [an] independent resource, just making sure there are no biases, there’s no people that we know, and just making sure everything is fair,” Zingano said during Wednesday’s media teleconference (via MMA Fighting).

In a separate interview with MMA Fighting, Zingano said she called for independent testing for both her and Cyborg upon her entry into Bellator in 2020, should they cross paths eventually. However, the matchup never materialized.

“I did tell them, in the beginning, there were things that I want to do, where both of us would do [it], to make sure it’s a fair fight, and to make sure it’s a safe fight,” she said. “And with those guidelines, it just never came out.

“Every time we talked about the fight being between us, or she was calling me out online or I was saying something about her out online, I was kind of waiting for the phone calls, and the phone calls would come, but it was never her name.”

Currently, Bellator does not do independent testing and instead relies on the state athletic commission for it. For any additional testing outside of state requirements, fighters and promoters would usually rely on the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).

It’s worth noting that Cyborg did fail a USADA drug test in 2016, her debut year in the UFC. But as she said at the time, it was because she was prescribed a drug for a “medical treatment” she was going through.

Zingano last fought at Bellator 256 in April 2021 against Olivia Parker and won via first-round submission. Cyborg, on the other hand, successfully defended the Bellator featherweight title for the fourth time in April against Arlene Blencowe, whom she defeated by unanimous decision.