Some fans will be rejoicing that it’s Christmas in July after seeing two new pictures of upcoming UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger Miesha Tate.
The pictures aren’t from just any old photo shoot—they come from the annual release of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue, which come courtesy of the fine folks at MiddleEasy.
Ben Watts of ESPN The Magazine gets the credit for the artistically nude photos.
After posting a 6-2 record in Strikeforce, “Cupcake” lost her UFC debut to undefeated prospect Cat Zingano at The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 Finale in April.
The loss was an extremely disappointing one for Tate, as she convincingly won the first two rounds. After the match, she voiced her strong disapproval with the third-round stoppage by referee Kim Winslow.
However, Lady Luck would not elude the Washington native for very long, as Zingano had to withdraw from her coaching spot on season 18 of TUF, opposite women’s champ Ronda Rousey, due to a knee injury sustained in May, via Yahoo! Sports.
Tate was quickly brought in as a last-minute replacement on the show and will also receive the next crack at Rousey at UFC 168 in December, despite being just 1-2 in her past three fights.
The decision has also drawn criticism, since the former Olympic bronze medalist has already beaten her archrival in convincing fashion.
Tate was a game opponent in March 2012, being the first fighter to put Rousey in compromising positions inside the cage, “Rowdy” captured the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title after locking up her signature armbar.
While the submission hold looked particularly gruesome, since Tate’s elbow was bending in all kinds of ways it wasn’t supposed to, somehow she managed to walk away with just a dislocated elbow. She was surprisingly able to beat Julie Kedzie just five months later.
Rousey was the cover girl of the ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue last year, while UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former Strikeforce competitor Gina Carano have also graced the pages of the yearly publication in the past.
The latest ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue, featuring Tate and many other athletes from various sports, hits newsstands on Friday.
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
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