Award-winning actress Halle Berry is set to square off against former UFC Fighter Cat Zingano, however, it won’t be in the cage, instead, a legal battle as the current Bellator athlete has filed a lawsuit against the actor regarding promises allegedly made to her for a role in the film Bruised.
The film that is set to launch in November 2021 will see Berry play the lead role as an MMA fighter seeking redemption in the cage when her son returns to her life after she gave him up as a child. The film stars Women’s Flyweight UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko, but according to Zingano’s lawsuit, she was also supposed to make an appearance.
Zingano claims that she lost an important fight opportunity to star in the film, which was directed by Berry, and wound up being cut not only from the film but from the UFC also. According to Variety’s report, the former UFC fighter claims that Berry asked her to star in the film due to the parallels between its script and Zingano’s life.
She then claims that following this conversation she declined a number one contender fight offer from the UFC to ensure her schedule would be clear for the year to film Bruised. According to the report, after turning down the UFC she was let go by the company and shortly after was told that she wouldn’t be granted the opportunity to star in the film as “only UFC fighters could participate”.
Seeking damages for the situation, Zingano says that she was relying on the role within the film instead of taking a fight within the UFC. Right now, Berry’s legal team has yet to comment on the situation.