Cris Cyborg Defeats Cat Zingano in 1st-Round TKO at Bellator 300

Cris Cyborg completed a fifth successful defense of her featherweight championship belt on Saturday by defeating Cat Zingano via first-round TKO at Bellator 300 in San Diego's Pechanga Arena.

Cyborg earned her 12th-ever first-round knockout finish via ground-and-pound at 4:01 of Round 1.

Cyborg dominated the round and got Zingano to the ground a couple minutes earlier as well:

Cyborg entered this match as a heavy pre-fight favorite and rightfully so. She's 27-2 (one no-contest) lifetime, including a perfect 6-0 in Bellator. The 38-year-old has also registered 21 lifetime knockouts.

She is also the only male or female fighter to become a Grand Slam champion with title belts in four MMA promotions. Cyborg previously won championships in Strikeforce, UFC and Invicta FC.

The Brazilian is Bellator's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter for a reason: She's been nothing short of sensational for the promotion upon her arrival in July 2019, registering three knockouts, one submission win and two unanimous decision victories. Her last title defense occurred in April 2022, when she beat Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 279 via unanimous decision.

Zingano, 41, has gone 14-5 lifetime and 4-1 in Bellator after making the move from UFC. The latest women's pound-for-pound rankings have Zingano ranked fourth overall.

Zingano has earned three unanimous decision wins and one submission victory during her Bellator tenure, which began in Sept. 2020. Her last fight occurred in March with a UD victory over Leah McCourt at Bellator 293.

This match marked the first time Zingano fought for a title belt since UFC 184 in Feb. 2015, when she fell to then-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Zingano previously won the inaugural Ring Of Fire women's bantamweight championship and Fight To Win women's bantamweight and flyweight belts.

Ultimately, Cyborg was the big winner on this night, and a title defense against Leah McCourt is up next.