Cat Zingano reveals that ONE Championship approached her about grappling match vs. Miesha Tate

Cat Zingano and Miesha Tate are key pieces to the start of the UFC’s introduction to the women. Nearly a decade later and they’re both still competing – just under different roofs.

While Zingano prepares to compete this Friday night, Tate is set to return to the UFC in July after a five-year retirement. In that time, Tate took up a position as a ONE Championship Vice President and according to Zingano, a potential grappler.

“I get it, MMA is a love-hate sport,” Cat Zingano told ESPN regarding Tate coming out of retirement. “Some days you just don’t want to do this but you get away from it for 10 minutes and you miss it. It’s very deep in your soul to want to be an MMA fighter. So for her to want to come back, I think it makes sense, I’m not surprised.

“About a year and a half ago, I had been asked to do a jiu-jitsu match against her in ONE [Championship] so I knew that she has been having the itch to be competing again. So I’m not so surprised to hear that she comes back and she had her babies, she looks great. She got herself back in shape and that always makes you question if ‘should I go fight right now how would I do?’ And I’m sure that’s where she’s at.”

Still open to a Tate rematch in MMA if possible, Cat Zingano picked up the third-round TKO victory in 2013 in what was just the second UFC fight between women. Fast-forward to now, and the 38-year old Zingano has gone 2-2 since Tate’s retirement in November 2016. The last of those four bouts came in her Bellator debut last September when earning a unanimous decision over Gabby Holloway.

On April 9, Zingano is back to keep climbing the featherweight ranks when she faces Olivia Parker at Bellator 256.