Cat Zingano has just been awarded her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt by ATOS founder Andre Galvao!
A pioneer of women’s MMA, Zingano competed in an era when women’s divisions were absent from the UFC, leaving fighters like her to carve out opportunities on the regional circuit.
She became a two-division champion in promotions like Fight to Win and Ring of Fire, winning titles in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions.
By the time the UFC introduced women’s weight classes, Zingano had already compiled an undefeated 7-0 record and was an obvious choice for the promotion.
Zingano made an immediate impact in the UFC, participating in only the second women’s fight in the promotion’s history and securing the first-ever TKO in a women’s bout against Miesha Tate.
She went on to challenge for the UFC bantamweight title, further cementing her legacy as one of the sport’s pioneers.
Zingano’s journey in grappling spans nearly three decades, beginning at the age of 12 when she joined her school wrestling team.
A four-time NCAA Division III All-American, she transitioned to BJJ in 2007 and quickly immersed herself in competition.
Now 42 years old, Zingano’s promotion to black belt comes after 17 years of dedication to BJJ – during which she consistently incorporated grappling into her MMA success.
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Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
