UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha ‘Cupcake’ Tate is set to make her first career title defense against a very game Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 this July, however, the newly crowned champ admitted she is still hoping for a third crack at former 135-pound queen Ronda Rousey.
In a recent media event (courtesy of MMA Junkie) to promote her upcoming bout at UFC 200, Tate spoke on her rivalry with ‘The Rowdy One’ and her desire to get one last opportunity against her in the Octagon:
“I would be disappointed if (Rousey) doesn’t come back and if I don’t get that opportunity,” Tate said. “I definitely would be. There would be a certain void that I would feel didn’t get filled.
I hope that (Rousey never returning to MMA) is not the case. But if there is, life goes on. And I feel there are still a lot of things I am yet to accomplish regardless.”
Although Tate would love a third crack at Rousey in the near future, the fact remains that she has a tough enough test ahead of her at UFC 200 against the No. 4-ranked Nunes:
“I believe Amanda Nunes is going to be a great challenge for me,” Tate Said. “I hope that I go out there and have the best one of my career.
But I’m always prepared for a knockdown, drag-out, barn-burning fight, and I think Amanda is going to be a very good challenge. I think this fight is going to show more people why she deserved to be where she’s at.
I think a lot of people see her as sort of not deserving of this, and I’m sure she’s training really hard. I’m sure she really wants this.
You get a fiery Brazilian woman in there that really wants to take that belt, I don’t think that’s anything to scoff at. I don’t think it’s anything to discredit, discount, undermine or overlook. I don’t want to make that mistake.”
Tate was asked about Nunes’ tendency to gas out in the later stages of her previous fights, and although she acknowledged this flaw in the Brazilian’s game, she is reluctant to bank on it and potentially risk everything she’s ever worked for:
“I know that’s a tendency of hers, seems like she definitely hits a wall in fights,” Tate said. “But I think would be a really piss-poor gameplan to count on someone getting tired.
I have to assume she’s making changes, she’s making the proper adjustments, she’s adding the things she needs to her camp to get her conditioning and cardio where it needs to be.
I’m looking at her as a well-rounded fighter. The fighter she is for the first round, we’re preparing like that’s gonna be for five rounds. We’ll be prepared either way.”
Tate and Nunes will meet on the main card of UFC 200, which takes place live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9, 2016.
You can check out Tate’s interview in it’s entirety here bellow:
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