If brand spanking new UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate had her way she’d pick the surging Amanda Nunes to fight next, and preferably at UFC 200.
At least, that’s what her other half, boyfriend and coach Bryan Caraway, told MMAjunkie.com recently.
“Nunes is on a three-fight win streak and is looking super tough,” Caraway said. “She finished Sara McMann. She absolutely deserves that.”
But what about the Ronda Rousey trilogy that Dana White was pushing shortly after Holly Holm was strangled at UFC 196? Well, the problem with that is Rousey is reportedly MIA until November, which means Tate winning the world title just earned her an eight-month vacation.
Mr. Miesha Tate doesn’t think that’s fair for the division, suggesting Rousey should “work her way back” to a title shot against Tate, despite the fact “Rowdy” absolutely brutalized “Cupcake” twice already in entirely one-sided beatdowns.
“If we just keep the cycle of Ronda always in the mix, it’s not really fair for these other girls who put together a win streak and get pushed aside,” Caraway told MMAjunkie.
If Dana White does change his mind, which seems to be as frequently as a teenaged girl, selling Nunes might be difficult. After all, the Brazilian-born fighter turned in a turd of a third round round against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 196, despite taking home the dubya.
Personally, I think Caraway has accidentally stumbled onto something here. While Rousey vs. Tate doesn’t really get anybody excited, there’s still a legion of fans who’d like to see how “The Preacher’s Daughter” rebounds from her loss, and there’s nobody better to test that against than Rousey.
If Rousey wins, it sets up a great storyline for the trilogy fight (or whoever is holding the belt, as this thing is getting passed around lately like a blunt at a 209 after party) with Tate. If Holm wins it would also make a good rematch fight with Tate, against whom, let’s face it, she was winning most of the fight.
Caraway is also correct that there are “other girls” out there, including Cat Zingano, who disappeared after getting humiliated by Rousey, Juliana Pena and Raquel Pennington, to name but a few.
It’s definitely outside the control of Tate, and the boyfriend hiding behind her sideboob, but I’d like to see her fight sooner than the time it takes a human being to fully gestate inside a woman. Why wait for November? Let’s get some shizzle going now!
Who should Tate fight next? Let me know how much you (don’t) care below!