Cris Cyborg made a triumphant return at Bellator 300 in San Diego after more than a year and a half out of the cage competing as an undefeated professional boxer. Considered the only Grand Slam Champion in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts with Championship Belts for Bellator MMA, UFC, Invicta FC, and Strikeforce on her resume, Cyborg made quick work of her mandatory challenger Cat Zingano.
Displaying her takedown defense, Cyborg successfully defended all 5 takedowns attempted by Cat Zingano, a former All American Collegiate Wrestler and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt before eventually forcing ref Frank Trigg to stop the fight at 4:01 of the first round. The performance for Cyborg was near perfect leaving many to believe she is still improving as she won her 16th World Championship Fight in the sport of MMA.
Bellator 300 was broadcasted throughout Brazil with Globo media partner Combate Television offering supplementary programing to promote the event. With a rating of 9.1 and a 70+ percent share of the market Bellator 300 peaked during the Cris Cyborg Vs Cat Zingano superfight, making it the most watched female fight in the country of Brazil since 2018, and the most viewed female fight by Bellator MMA ever.
Combate which is a pay-TV channel previously was the broadcast partner of the UFC and offers 24 hour combat sports programming and broadcasts domestic and international events such as; Jungle Fight, Bellator MMA, and the Professional Fighter’s League and is considered the top destination for fight fans in Brazil and Latin America.
For Cyborg no immediate plans were announced following her victory. After a professional boxing fight in Brazil that drew over 10,000 in live attendance fans are hopeful the longtime champion can bring an MMA event to Brazil. Immediately following her fight Bellator #1 Contender Leah McCourt was brought into the cage, while Cyborg has the ability to box professionally, and a rumored bout against PFL fighter Kayla Harrison are also possibilities for the 16X World Champion Cris Cyborg.
