Ronda Rousey’s longtime rival, Miesha Tate, says the former women’s bantamweight champion put too much pressure on herself heading into UFC 193.
Following Ronda Rousey’s shocking loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, many questioned the Olympian’s mentality heading into the bout. Rousey, who had picked up sponsors, starred in Hollywood movies and became the first female athlete to feature on the cover of a global EA Sports title, was brutally knocked out in the 2nd round and relinquished of the bantamweight title.
Longtime rival Miesha Tate believes “Rowdy” put too much pressure on herself to finish Holm in the 1st round. “Cupcake” spoke to FOX Sports on Wednesday.
“I think Ronda went into that fight with Holly thinking, ‘If I don’t finish this girl in under two minutes, I’m already a failure,’ and she went in there with such desperation to get a quick finish,” Tate told FOX Sports. “She had 25 minutes to get that fight to the ground and submit Holly. I think Ronda is capable of that, but I think she mentally beat herself up after not being able to do that in the first round. Hey it’s OK, you have 20 more minutes, like, relax for a second.
“She just went out there like a charging bull in a china shop and she allowed Holly to play the perfect game plan. Holly was the matador, Ronda was the bull. The bull fell victim.”
“The Preacher’s Daughter” is expected to beat Miesha Tate to set up a championship rematch with Rousey but Tate plans to ruin the party at UFC 196.
“I think they’re going to regret the decision after the fact,” Tate said of UFC making the booking with Holm. “Like, ‘Man, we really wanted to step up, we wanted to prove that we’re the best in the world as champion,’ but I’m going to spoil those plans.
“They know this is a huge step up in competition. They know that stylistically, I think everyone believes that I’m a more challenging style for Holly. I present different problems.”
Tate has rattled off four wins since losing to Rousey for the second time at UFC 168 and has cemented herself as one of the top contenders in the division. The 29-year-old will take on Holly Holm for the bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 196 on March 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Rousey is still recovering from the loss to Holm and is expected to return to action by the end of the year.