CHICAGO — Miesha Tate was the unquestioned headline act in women’s mixed martial arts at one point. And she’s not afraid to admit she misses her time at the top.
Tate, who meets Jessica Eye in the co-main event of Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 16 at United Center, was the Strikeforce bantamweight champion at the time that belt was the most important in women’s MMA.
But she gave way to Ronda Rousey, and while Tate remains a star with a solid fan base, she wants another run in the limelight.
“I definitely miss being a champion,” Tate said at Thursday’s open workouts. “Being the Strikeforce champion is one thing. But winning another one under the UFC banner is something I want to accomplish before I retire. It’s a big, final milestone.”
Tate understands that her work is cut out for her, since she has lost to Rousey both in Strikeforce and the UFC. All she can do is get back to the grind and make it so that the UFC has no choice but to match up Rousey and Tate again.
A win over Eye would be Tate’s fourth in a row.
“I’m very motivated, and as time goes by, it gets more crucial with those things, to make those goals happen before I run out of time,” Tate said. “This is a real big fight opportunity, and, you know, it’s a title contender eliminator fight.”
Tate believes she still has the skillset to knock Rousey off her throne.
“I feel like I adjust to the situation better and better every time,” Tate said. “I feel like if anyone is going to be Ronda, it’s going to be me. I feel like I need to get past this fight, and I need to have a strong finish in the fight and have momentum, going forward. But before I talk more about Ronda, I need to go out there and prove why I deserve to have the fight.”