Fresh off of a women’s bantamweight championship victory, new UFC 135-pound titleholder Miesha Tate is enjoying the fruits of her labor. That is until it’s inevitably time to step back into the Octagon and defend her strap.
“Cupcake” submitted “The Preacher’s Daughter,” who’s most famous for knocking (literally) Ronda Rousey off her perch atop the women’s bantamweight division, in the final hour of a UFC 196 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event matchup last weekend.
Tate’s mind won’t be made up, she says, until she meets with her management team, but it seems as if UFC president Dana White has drawn a line in the sand, realistically forcing the former to contend with “Rowdy” in a trilogy tilt on a card to be determined.
Here’s Tate’s take on the matter via FOX Sports:
“I am the champion, I definitely want to stay active, I want to defend my belt, I want to continue to prove myself so whatever we all sit down and deem as the best route to do that then I’m ready. I’m ready to take on all comers so I think that’s the champion’s job. I’ll stay ready so I don’t have to get ready.”
White might be mad, or he may not, after missing out on a profitable title rematch between Holm and Rousey down the road, thanks to Tate. But interestingly enough, it may now be Tate — who crashed this love triangle — challenging Rousey for a third time.
On Holm’s side of things, the boxing import is hellbent on recapturing the belt she lost. The 34-year-old now holds a 3-1 record in UFC, following wins over the likes of Rousey and Marion Reneau.
Rousey now appears at least poised to make a quick turnaround from her ventures in Hollywood to challenge Tate. And just as it appeared the former Olympian might turn into an afterthought …
What’s the next step for Tate?