Cat Zingano: Bellator MMA Fighter, First Mom to Compete in the UFC, 2X National Champion, Shelter to Soldier Ambassador

Team Never Quit

What an amazing story of the relentless pursuit of a dream by this week’s guest, “Cat” Zingano. Beginning with a love of wrestling at age 12, she developed into a 4-time All-American and national wrestling champion. She is currently a mixed martial artist (MMA) and has won a world championship title and the Rio de Janeiro State Championships in Brazil. She also became the first mom to compete in a UFC fight and the first woman to win a UFC fight by technical knockout. Listen in and be inspired by Cat’s non-stop life adventures along her path to success.

In this episode you will hear:

• Like the military, we all sign up for it. It’s a risk, but it’s a choice.
• As a kid, I often felt misguided and what always brought me back was sports – being part of a team.
• I didn’t look for people to pick on, but I’d put a target on people who were being mean to other people.
• When you have a goal and it doesn’t mean to you what it once meant to you - it’s so defeating.
• I want to finish in a way I can be proud of.
• Your kids are challenging sometimes, and while you love your kids, you still have to have your own outlet.
• I don’t ever want to ever forget how much it sucks to regret that I didn’t finish wrestling the way that I wanted.
• I want to walk away having checked all the boxes.
• I don’t want the hard times to dictate what I do with my goals.
• The 15-20 minute fight is nothing, compared to the training camps.
• I’d never had to pick a song to beat someone’s ass.
• If the beginning of the fight hadn’t gone the way it had, it wouldn’t have been so interesting. They got to see everything. They got to see a comeback.
• To still be struggling for money when you’re one of the top 5 in the world is tough.
• I’m supposed to take my losses and learn something from it.
• I accept my losses, but I want to know and learn what I can change - what can I do to make myself a different version of that person that maybe wouldn’t have lost.
• How many times do you have to suck at something before you’re good at it?