UFC 200: Cat Zangano’s (hopeful) Return to Prominence

Miesha Tate will get a chance to prove herself at UFC 200 as a dominant UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. When Tate faces Amanda Nunes, it will be a battle between two premier fighters. That won’t be the only women’s match on the card. In the prelims, one fighter is looking to return to the top of the MMA world. Cat Zangano is looking to make an impact after a brief hiatus.

Zangano (9-1) last fought on February 28, 2015 at UFC 184. She faced Ronda Rousey where she lost via submission in 14 seconds. Since then, Zangano has healed and trained as best as she could to make it to this point. She faces a tough challenger in Julianna Peña (7-2), but she is ready for this new obstacle in her way. This fight could be a starting point for her to return into the spotlight that some say she deserves.

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Zangano spoke about a number of things, including her progress to where she is today. An Instagram post Zangano made regarding her weight loss was deemed controversial by some. She discussed the hardships that fighters like her face. Less distractions like the media and more motivation (positive vibes, setting goals) helped her succeed to become healthy. She was hoping that a positive message could be made out of it. I don’t see the need for complaints. I take it as an inspiring story of never giving up and being the best that you can be (John Cena 2.0?).

httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MLkhrn_H9U

The fight coming up puts Zangano at an interesting crossroads that only she can decide upon. If she wins she has two options: She can take the personal route and look for a Rousey rematch, or she can take the professional route and look to fight for the Bantamweight Title. Both would make her happy as she feels as though she is at the top of her game. With Rousey’s UFC status up in the air at this point, I would recommend going for the title. Anything can happen though so we’ll have to wait and see. The pressure is off and she is finally motivated enough to fight. Even with a loss, Zangano could get an opportunity based off of her performance.

This Saturday, Cat Zangano returns to the octagon. Here’s hoping we get to see her at her best. It would be great to see if she can return to the top of the women’s division. It would be a true feel good story for the UFC.