Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s Bantamweight champion Miesha Tate was on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” earlier today (March 29, 2016) to talk all things mixed martial arts (MMA). Of course, that includes fielding Ronda Rousey questions, something that will likely never escape “Cupcake” given their rocky history.
And that’s okay with Tate because she knows she has to defeat Rousey to climb out of her overwhelming shadow and prove once and for all that she is indeed the best female fighter on the planet. That’s the reason she insists a trilogy fight between the two absolutely needs to go down.
And don’t expect a repeat result of their first two bouts.
“A lot of things are going to be different. Obviously, I think I’m a much better fighter, I’ve developed my striking skills tremendously. What that loss ( to Holly Holm) tells the world that’s she’s (Rousey) not this unbeatable machine that so many people thought that she was. More than anything, it puts a chink in her armor. I think her perception of herself is going to be a huge change. I always knew she was beatable, she’s just a woman. She’s just human and Holly had an explicit game plan and made it happen. Congrats to her. But, I think a third fight between Ronda and I absolutely needs to happen and I need to go out there and prove that I’m the best in the world. And who better to do than with than someone of Ronda’s stature.”
Rousey defeated Tate under the Strikeforce banner in 2012 via armbar and did the same at UFC 168 one year later to defend her 135-pound title. UFC President Dana White already declared the two ladies would mix it up again later this year after Tate choked out Holly Holm at UFC 196 (video) to claim the strap, but Rousey herself hasn’t given a timeline for her eventual return to the Octagon.
After all, the former division queen needs a bit more time to get her head straight, complete her Tinseltown duties and prepare for a much-improved Tate.