Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is practically frothing at the mouth to get another crack at the inaugural UFC women’s 135-pound titleholder, Ronda Rousey.
While the early portion of their fight was competitive, “Rowdy” eventually locked up her patented armbar, and after gruesomely hyper-extending Tate’s elbow, the champion was forced to tap, with Rousey winning her first major MMA title in the March 2012 encounter.
Despite getting finished decisively in their first matchup, “Cupcake” told FOX Sports 1 analysts Chael Sonnen and Kenny Florian that she is expecting a completely different outcome in the rematch:
“I’m going to break her jaw,” Tate responded when asked what would happen in her second battle with Rousey. “I’m not going to stop punching until something on her face is broken and she wakes up looking at the lights.”
A bold claim by Tate, especially considering she has lost two of her past three bouts. Despite a tough stretch in the past 18 months, the 27-year-old remains the third-best women’s bantamweight in the world, according to the UFC’s official rankings.
Additionally, Tate and Rousey are currently coaching opposite one another on season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Although Tate lost a title eliminator bout to Cat Zingano at TUF 17 Finale in April, the former high school wrestler was pegged as a last-minute replacement for Zingano, who injured her right knee days before filming began in May (via Yahoo! Sports).
Rousey enters the title tilt, which serves at the co-main event for UFC 168 on December 28, with a perfect 7-0 record, defeating all of her opponents via an armbar in the opening frame.
Will Tate showcase a much-improved game this time around against the dominant champion, or will Rousey once again prove she is simply just a cut above the rest?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
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