UFC star Amanda Nunes is convinced she would beat Miesha Tate on her way to a bout for the women’s bantamweight title with Ronda Rousey, where she promises to give the undefeated Rousey a better fight than anyone before her.
The 27-year-old is yet to be offered a fight with Tate in the wake of her win over Sara McMann, but that isn’t stopping her from already looking ahead. She believes McMann is a more dangerous fighter than Tate, per Fox Sports’ Damon Martin:
Miesha has a dangerous style like Sara McMann but I think Sara McMann is stronger than her. I think it’s going to be a good fight. Miesha is a known opponent and I’m going to win this fight. For sure, I’m going to work more and I’m going to do it.
If I need to win one more or two more or whatever. One day I’m going to fight for the title for sure. It’s good for me because I keep training and I keep getting better and better. When I step in there to fight for the belt, I’m going to be the best.
For some reason, I’m not going to fight for the title but this is going to help me. I’m going to keep getting better.
Nunes currently sports a 4-1 record in the UFC, with all four wins coming inside the first round. Rousey, meanwhile, is a perfect 12-0 and has only gone past the first round once. She’s set to fight Holly Holm in January, a decision that surprised Nunes: “I think you have to be ready at any moment. She’s had two victories and maybe the UFC thinks she’s ready for a title shot. I think Ronda’s going to win this fight for sure. Maybe Holly Holm will survive the first round, but Ronda for sure is going to win this fight.”
She’s not the only one to express her doubts over the bout; Joe Rogan has openly backed Nunes to receive the chance to meet Rousey in the Octagon, per his Fight Companion podcast (via Yahoo Sports’ Ryan McKinnell).
According to Martin, there’s the possibility Nunes could meet Tate on the undercard of UFC 195, the same event that will see Rousey and Holm do battle. A meeting between Rousey and the winner of that bout would be a logical next step, provided Rousey beats Holm―which most assume she will.
Holm is a former professional boxer with excellent range and footwork, but while she has shown some promise in the ground game, few believe she’ll be able to keep Rousey at bay for the duration of the fight.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden believes she has the best chance of dethroning Rousey out of all of the challengers, however:
Tate and Rousey have a strong rivalry going, having already done battle twice in the past, and while some expected she would be Rousey’s opponent at UFC 195, it’s easy to see why Dana White would rather go with a new challenger.
If Tate beats Nunes―or Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, another possibility, per Snowden―she will have earned another rematch with Rousey. If not, one of Nunes or Cyborg would be the obvious next choice for Rousey, having just beaten her main rival.
As for Nunes’ claim she would be the best in the ring if she met Rousey―be careful what you wish for. Bethe Correia already tried trash-talking Rousey before a fight, and we all know how that ended.
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