When Miesha Tate begins her bid to reclaim the UFC women’s bantamweight title, she’ll do it against a familiar charge.
Raquel Pennington is on a three-fight win streak and is currently eighth on the official UFC rankings—seven spots below No. 1 contender Tate. The two lock up in the pay-per-view opener of Saturday’s UFC 205 card at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
It’s Tate’s first bout since losing the belt to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 in July. Her placement on these two cards—two of the biggest of this or any other year—speaks to the UFC’s belief in Tate’s popularity.
“I’m honored the UFC would give me someone who’s hot right now,” Tate said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “It shows what they think of me and what the fans think of me. Fighting the best is how you prove you’re the best.”
As Tate (18-6) sets out on this proving process, she may hold an ace up her sleeve. She and Pennington (8-5) have crossed paths before, back in 2013 when Tate was a head coach and Pennington a Team Tate contestant on season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. That’s a pretty intimate relationship, and it gave Tate insights into Pennington’s makeup.
“Very well-rounded, very durable, very strong,” Tate said of Pennington. “On the show, she was one of the first people to train with the guys. At first we partnered girls with girls and guys with guys, but Raquel wanted to push herself. She’s very strong. She really wants to excel.”
Pennington lost in the semifinals that season but still got a UFC shot. Since the show’s conclusion, Pennington has gone 4-2, including her current streak, which contains wins over Bethe Correia, Jessica Andrade and Elizabeth Phillips.
Still, Pennington isn’t what you’d call a world beater, and she’s a significant 11-4 underdog against Tate, according to betting side Odds Shark. Tate seems prepared for this line of reasoning and is quick to play down—but not too far down—any perceived advantage.
“She’s dangerous because she’s not super well known yet, but she’s been beating solid girls,” Tate said. “She’s hungry. … [But] I really don’t think she’s fought anyone like me.”
Tate is hoping her time as an imparter of lessons isn’t done yet. Especially since, by her own admission, she’s not always the most willing student. Take the Nunes loss, which Tate said she didn’t spend much time poring over. Instead, she said she prefers to chalk it up to a big punch and an off night.
“I think I just got caught early in that fight and wasn’t able to recover,” Tate said. “It wasn’t my best, and most people could see that. … It was a really solid right hand, and I lost my bearings for the rest of the fight. I didn’t have, what do you call it? My body and brain weren’t on the same level. There was no cognitive activity going on.”
Inspirational slogans are a dime a dozen on social media and elsewhere, but Tate employs one that rings true. She’s looking to move forward and isn’t going to let her role on TUF or anything else sway her too much.
“The past is a place of reference and not a place of residence,” Tate said.
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com