Cat Zingano

Bio:
Cat Zingano (born Cathilee Deborah Albert on July 1, 1982 in Winona, Minnesota) is an American mixed martial artist. Cat began her career in combat sports at age 12, after joining her the Fairview High School wrestling team. While attending both the Unieversity of the Cumberlands in Williansburg, Kentucky and MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, Cat was part of the colleges’ women’s wrestling team. She became a 4-time All-American and National Champion. In 2007, she fell in love with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, competing (and winning) many tournaments, including the World Championships in Los Angeles. Shortly after she started to study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, she competed in her first amateur mixed martial arts fight. From there, she studied hard to become pro. She made her professional MMA debut in 2008, submitting Karina Taylor with an armbar in the first round. She fought in Invicta FC and Strikeforce. In 2013, she was signed to participate in the second women’s fight in UFC History. She took on Miesta Tate at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, winning by TKO in the third round. She defeated Amanda Nunes by TKO at UFC 178 in 2014, but lost against Ronda Rousey at UFC 185 in 2016. While facing Juliana Pena at UFC 200 in 2016, Cat suffered her second UFC loss in a row when the judges awarded the fight to Juliana.

Best Known For:
Cat Zingano is best known as a professional MMA fighter, participating in the UFC.

Personal Life:
Cat married Brazilian Jiu-Jitsui black belt Mauricio Zingano in 2010. Sadly, he committed suicide in 2014. She has a son named Brayden, making her the first mother to ever compete in a UFC match. In her spare time, she teaches a woman-only fitness boot camp in Broomfield, Colorado.