You know, for being a fairly straightforward ad that clocks in at just over 30 seconds, the latest TUF: Rousey vs. Tate preview offers more than its fair share of interesting moments and head-scratching editorial choices. A few highlights…
00:00 – The preview hasn’t even started yet and already we feel like we’re trapped in one of those Technicolor iPod commercials. 00:04 – Wait…were those gloves covered in yellow paint? 00:08 – Nothing says “Intimidating” quite like MORE YELLOW PAINT. 00:12 – My God, the overediting. Who directed this clip, Michael Bay on PCP? 00:17 – Surely this season will play host to the greatest pool hijinks since Caddyshack. 00:20 – Ronda Rousey, rocking what’s become known as “The Chicken Wing” pose or “The Sassy Arm Triangle of Insecurity.” In any case, we’d appreciate it if women never posed like this again for the rest of eternity. 00:21 – Tate, rocking the cross-armed, no nonsense stance. Point Tate, although we would have preferred she went full on B-Boy style. 00:22 – “Mommy, I think these Hulk Hands are knockoffs. They keep melting whenever I play with them outside.”
You know, for being a fairly straightforward ad that clocks in at just over 30 seconds, the latest TUF: Rousey vs. Tate preview offers more than its fair share of interesting moments and head-scratching editorial choices. A few highlights…
00:00 – The preview hasn’t even started yet and already we feel like we’re trapped in one of those Technicolor iPod commercials. 00:04 – Wait…were those gloves covered in yellow paint? 00:08 – Nothing says “Intimidating” quite like MORE YELLOW PAINT. 00:12 – My God, the overediting. Who directed this clip, Michael Bay on PCP? 00:17 – Surely this season will play host to the greatest pool hijinks since Caddyshack. 00:20 – Ronda Rousey, rocking what’s become known as “The Chicken Wing” pose or “The Sassy Arm Triangle of Insecurity.” In any case, we’d appreciate it if women never posed like this again for the rest of eternity. 00:21 – Tate, rocking the cross-armed, no nonsense stance. Point Tate, although we would have preferred she went full on B-Boy style. 00:22 – “Mommy, I think these Hulk Hands are knockoffs. They keep melting whenever I play with them outside.”
The lives of professional fighters are filled with uncertainty; their successes and failures play out in the public eye for all to see.
When the cage door closes and the battle of wills begin, it becomes a matter of opportunity. One walks away victorio…
The lives of professional fighters are filled with uncertainty; their successes and failures play out in the public eye for all to see.
When the cage door closes and the battle of wills begin, it becomes a matter of opportunity. One walks away victorious, the other defeated, the outcome sometimes determined by only the slightest of margins.
What happens under the bright lights is what the fans are left to debate, but rarely are they given a glimpse into what it takes to make the walk to the cage in the first place.
This is what the climb looks like. This is The Fighting Life.
****
It’s one o’clock in the afternoon, and already Miesha Tate is looking tired.
She is sitting at a table in Gibson’s Steakhouse, an upscale eatery in downtown Chicago, with assorted members of the media surrounding her from all sides. Her presentation is self-assured and professional as she smiles and greets those who come over to introduce themselves.
She knows they have come to the storied restaurant to ask her questions about her rematch with Ronda Rousey, who just so happens to be sitting 15 feet away at the opposite end of the table, and those inquiries are going to be similar or exactly the same ones she has been answering for the past week as the two top female fighters under the UFC banner have traveled the country as a part of the recent World Tour promotion.
While the former Strikeforce champion may be tired, it is certainly for good reason. After a five o’clock wake-up call and a series of live hit promotional duties, the two women now have to sit down with a new set of print and digital media members and approach the topics offered with a level of enthusiasm that will hopefully elevate interest in not only their bout at UFC 168, but their upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter as well.
Granted, doing promotional work is all a part of the job, but doing a press tour ratchets things up a notch in every aspect, especially for Tate and Rousey—two people who seem to bring the worst out of one another.
Though the two fighters have been at one another’s throats for the better part of three months filming the reality show and doing the press tour, this isn’t the case on Friday afternoon in Chicago. The UFC has wisely put Tate and Rousey at opposite ends of the table, and from the looks of it, both are appreciative of the decision.
If not for the sake of not having to look at one another, then absolutely for the chance to sit in a place free of conflict for the next two hours while they handle their media obligations. There is no doubt the questions that are about to come Tate’s way will be loaded with attempts to get her to bomb vitriolic barbs at her opponent in order to get click-heavy runs on the articles the writers are looking to produce.
Tate knows this to be true because every step of her two-year long dance with Rousey has been exactly this way, and the immediate road ahead doesn’t appear to be any different. And perhaps this is the real reason the 26-year-old is looking tired in the early afternoon.
While lack of sleep and a non-stop run across the country certainly have contributed to how she feels going into the media lunch at Gibson’s, it is quite possible repetitious inquiries of specific focus, and the next wave of such about to arrive, have played the largest role in her mindset.
Nevertheless, once the interviews begin, Tate is all business. Vibrant and in the moment, she answers each question in direct fashion as if it were the first time she was being asked about the subject matter. For the next two hours, the chair to her immediate left is never empty for more than a few minutes as reporters sit down beside her to get their time in.
Two hours later, all the interviews are over, and a car to take her to the airport is on its way. The media has come and gone, and the current No. 1 contender to the women’s bantamweight crown is all smiles as she and long-time boyfriend Bryan Caraway enjoy a few laughs at the expense of a member of the UFC’s PR staff.
As she sits back in her chair, there is a sense of ease in her posture that comes as the result of the finish line quickly approaching. She is thankful the press tour has officially come to an end, but on another level, she is grateful her time will now be spent inside the gym as she prepares for the biggest fight of her career on December 28.
And it is that aspect of the fight game Tate is absolutely in love with. While the rivalry with Rousey is intense and has kept her at the forefront of a growing sport, it is her passion for mixed martial arts that has pushed her forward. She’s not only battled for personal respect on some of the sport’s biggest stages but also played a very large role in bringing WMMA to where it is at the current time.
Where it is easy for those details to become lost in the “Rousey/Tate shuffle,” in the mind of the 135-pound title challenger, there are not more important details to be found. Her journey through the sport has been filled with sacrifice and perseverance, and with the opportunity to claim UFC gold within her grasp, Tate will have the chance to turn years of hard work into something truly remarkable.
“It is one of those things that is really difficult to put into words,” Tate told Bleacher Report. “It is such an emotional point in my life where I feel I’ve worked very hard for a really long time. I want it to work out in my favor so badly that I can’t see it going any other way. I know what it feels like to lose to Ronda Rousey. I’ve been there and done that, and I don’t want to experience those feelings or emotions again.
“I realize the mistakes that I made by underestimating my opponent the first time around and trying to devalue her by saying and thinking she didn’t deserve it. Now, she is the champion for a reason. She is the undisputed UFC world champion and I can’t argue that.
“I’m going into this fight with a different mind frame as the challenger. I have a whole new perspective on things and I feel will not be capable to manipulate me emotionally in this fight. I still believe I have the skill set to beat her. If I didn’t have the skill set then I wouldn’t have been able to take her back in the first round and get out of one of her armbar attempts.
“That was two years ago and she has been on my mind ever since then,” Tate added. “To say I haven’t become a better fighter because of Ronda Rousey would be an ignorant thing for me to say. I have learned a lot, both inside and outside of the cage, and I believe I will be able to take the belt home with me on December 28.”
While the friction between Rousey and Tate has remained a constant in the dialogue around the MMA community for the past two years, there was a period in WMMA where Tate was fighting a much different battle. Just before the Olympic judoka burst onto the scene in Strikeforce, Tate had defeated MarloesCoenen to claim the women’s bantamweight champion.
It was a goal the scrappy Washington-based fighter had been working for years to accomplish. Tate battled her way through the 135-pound Strikeforce Challengers tournament to earn the opportunity to fight Coenen, and earning championship gold made it seem as if the next great chapter of her career was about to begin.
With former champion and the face of women’s MMA Gina Carano gone, Tate and Chris “Cyborg” Justino were the only two names holding the flag for females in the sport. It was a responsibility Tate would not take lightly, and when Rousey emerged into the picture in brash fashion, their opposite mindsets immediately clashed.
Where Tate once derided Rousey for her lack of appreciation for women’s MMA as a whole, she has now taken a different respective on her rival’s approach.
“Women’s MMA has grown extensively and it’s actually a really incredible accomplishment,” Tate said. “I didn’t think it would happen so fast. A couple years ago, I was at the forefront of the sport as the Strikeforce title holder and the UFC wasn’t even something to be considered at that point. I wanted that, but I felt it was probably another five years or so away from happening.
“Then Ronda came along and our rivalry was pretty much right off the bat. As ironic as it was actually, I was invited to come train with Rousey by ‘Judo’ Gene LeBell. This was before I knew she was at all. He told me he had this great girl training with him and that she was still a little green as far as MMA goes, but he really wanted me to come train with her. She was still an amateur and I thought it would be a great idea.
“But shortly after that she popped on to the scene with Strikeforce and she came at me so disrespectfully I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Who is this chick?’ I would never in my life dream of disrespect someone in a higher position than me. I idolized MarloesCoenen for instance and I would never disrespected her even though I wanted to be the champion. I looked at Marloes as the real deal.
“Going into our fight, I was nervous, excited, and honored to get into the cage with her. When I won the title I was in awe because I couldn’t believe I had just defeated one of my idols. That was my mentality going into it and Ronda had a much different mentality.
“She came into this sport was just very brash. She didn’t care who you were. She was like, ‘I don’t care if you are a title holder or an amateur, I’ll beat you.’ She created waves because she disrespected a lot of people along the way.
“While her approach and ‘I don’t give a f***’ attitude didn’t create a very warm welcome from a lot of female fighters in the sport, ultimately she was right. She had the talent and had the skill set to back it up. There is nothing I can say to argue that point. She was right.
“But I see it now. Her big picture was to come in here, create waves, and draw attention to women’s MMA,” Tate added. “She didn’t care who liked it or who didn’t like it, she was going to make it be known that she belonged here.
“I didn’t see that at first. I just saw a very disrespectful young woman who hadn’t earned her place. Then she came in there and fought line one hell of a fight and took the title from me. Afterwards I was like, ‘Wow. She’s legit. She can back up what she talks.’ What can I say? She’s a badass.”
As Tate begins to prepare for the biggest fight of her career against Rousey at UFC 168, women’s MMA is still fighting the battle to be accepted with the MMA fan base. While the females competing inside the cage are supported from the die-hard portion of the fight community, the casual fans of the sport have been slow to latch on.
Naturally that process is slower with the women’s bantamweight division being the most recently added weight class to the UFC roster, but the females under the UFC banner are not alone in this regard. The lighter weight classes on the male side of things also receives similar criticism, and Tate believes these scenarios are the result of a particular stigma more than anything else.
“The problem with fans’ approach to the lighter weight fighters is that a lot of men who watch the fights don’t want to believe a 135-pound man could kick the sh** out of them,” Tate said. “You get men who are 230-pounds, who aren’t fighters, and they watch a bantamweight fight in the UFC and they sit at home and think they could beat the guys they are watching. It’s a false perception because while they like to believe they could, it wouldn’t happen.
“The same thing applies when men watch women fight. A lot of men don’t like to think that a woman could beat them up, and the truth is, I think that Ronda and I both could beat the crap out of a lot of men.
“It’s a different process for men to have to realize that. These women are badasses. They train every single day and they fight men in practice every single day. Yes, they could probably beat the sh** out of you.
“It is a battle to break down the stereotype and the barrier that women are so far beneath men physically. Yeah, there are differences. We don’t have as much testosterone pumping through our veins but we train our butts off and work really hard to develop our skill sets. We are not these delicate, fragile flowers most people in general try to portray women as. We are not barefoot and pregnant in a kitchen and I don’t think that is a crime.
“Fans like to find a way to relate to the fighters and there is an obvious difference between people who are actually doing it and people who like to think that they could,” Tate added in conclusion.
“The fans live vicariously through us and that is what is so entertaining about it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it is ignorant for someone who has never stepped inside the cage to assume they could do it better. Or to assume because they are a man they could do it better. It’s just not accurate and nowhere near the truth.
“I think the more people come to realize this, the better off the sport will be.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
In any case, let’s hope that the second incarnation of Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate — which is being billed as the biggest rivalry in ALL of MMA Rrrrrrrr *catfight sounds* Snap into a Slim Jimoh yeah! — lives up to the additional pressure it is stacking on the already weighed-down shoulders of WMMA. In the past few days, the champ has flipped off Tate during a staredown, labeled her an Anti-Armenian and allegedly threatened to “cram an entire Lincoln Logs set up her boyfriend’s asspussy.” Allegedly. Anything less than an in-ring decapitation or double KO will be an utter disappointment at this point and the show hasn’t even started yet.
Thankfully, the two were able to keep it together during a recent face-to-face appearance on SportsCenter to hype their upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. You’d think that these two have said all they can say about each other, yet Rousey is still finding new reasons to dislike Tate. Mainly, that smug look of (sexy) disinterest she is always wearing. If DW’s statements about how batshit crazy the both of them are this season have any truth to them, we should expect this conversation to play out several times over the course of TUF 18.
In any case, let’s hope that the second incarnation of Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate — which is being billed as the biggest rivalry in ALL of MMA Rrrrrrrr *catfight sounds* Snap into a Slim Jimoh yeah! — lives up to the additional pressure it is stacking on the already weighed-down shoulders of WMMA. In the past few days, the champ has flipped off Tate during a staredown, labeled her an Anti-Armenian and allegedly threatened to “cram an entire Lincoln Logs set up her boyfriend’s asspussy.” Allegedly. Anything less than an in-ring decapitation or double KO will be an utter disappointment at this point and the show hasn’t even started yet.
Thankfully, the two were able to keep it together during a recent face-to-face appearance on SportsCenter to hype their upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. You’d think that these two have said all they can say about each other, yet Rousey is still finding new reasons to dislike Tate. Mainly, that smug look of (sexy) disinterest she is always wearing. If DW’s statements about how batshit crazy the both of them are this season have any truth to them, we should expect this conversation to play out several times over the course of TUF 18.
On Monday, the UFC kicked off an insanely ambitious promotional tour that will take the headliners for UFC 165, UFC 166, UFC 167, and UFC 168 to five countries over five days. The “UFC World Tour” stopped at the Club Nokia at Nokia Live in Los Angeles yesterday, and the fighters had a chance to get up in each others’ faces, while the meatheaded fans in attendance shouted whatever came to mind, like they were at home watching it on TV. You can check out the video above. Some highlights…
0:17-1:00:Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate come out dressed like office temps. They mean-mug each other, and Rousey gives Tate the ol’ Stockton Heybuddy walking away. The crowd fires off various catcalls. Dana’s goony mug at 0:41 says it all.
1:10-1:52:Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks face off, with Hendricks looking noticeably jacked. The crowd chants “USA!” A fan asks Hendricks what he weighs, and Hendro says “215,” flexing like a boss.
2:35-3:07:Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson get very close. Gustafsson rolls his tongue around in his mouth, preparing himself for the incoming kiss…but it doesn’t come. Breaking with tradition, Jones actually shifts his head and looks directly into the eyes — nay, the soul — of Alexander Gustafsson. Jones hoists his belt, then pop-and-locks his way off stage. The crowd boos.
On Monday, the UFC kicked off an insanely ambitious promotional tour that will take the headliners for UFC 165, UFC 166, UFC 167, and UFC 168 to five countries over five days. The “UFC World Tour” stopped at the Club Nokia at Nokia Live in Los Angeles yesterday, and the fighters had a chance to get up in each others’ faces, while the meatheaded fans in attendance shouted whatever came to mind, like they were at home watching it on TV. You can check out the video above. Some highlights…
0:17-1:00:Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate come out dressed like office temps. They mean-mug each other, and Rousey gives Tate the ol’ Stockton Heybuddy walking away. The crowd fires off various catcalls. Dana’s goony mug at 0:41 says it all.
1:10-1:52:Georges St. Pierre and Johny Hendricks face off, with Hendricks looking noticeably jacked. The crowd chants “USA!” A fan asks Hendricks what he weighs, and Hendro says “215,” flexing like a boss.
2:35-3:07:Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson get very close. Gustafsson rolls his tongue around in his mouth, preparing himself for the incoming kiss…but it doesn’t come. Breaking with tradition, Jones actually shifts his head and looks directly into the eyes — nay, the soul — of Alexander Gustafsson. Jones hoists his belt, then pop-and-locks his way off stage. The crowd boos.
3:35-3:40: “We want Brock! We need Brock!” Ugh, you guys.
3:45: The fighters line up while the fans continue to shout shit at them.
4:53-end: “Who’s the girl in the yelloooooow?!” [*crowd cheers*] Ugh, seriously, you guys.
– 1 p.m. ET July 31, Beacon Theatre, New York: News conference with UFC President Dana White, Velasquez, dos Santos, Jones, Gustafsson, St-Pierre, Hendricks, Rousey and Tate. Free and open to the public.
– 12:30 p.m. ET Aug. 1, Complexe Desjardins, Montreal: News conference with UFC Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright, St-Pierre and Hendricks. Free and open to the public.
– 1 p.m. CT Aug. 1, Toyota Center, Houston: Open workouts with Velasquez and dos Santos. Free and open to the public.
Aug. 1: Stockholm. Press tour with Jones and Gustafsson.
– 1 p.m. CT Aug. 2, Cowboys Stadium, Dallas: Open workouts on the field with St-Pierre and Hendricks. Free and open to the public.
– Aug. 2, Chicago: Press tour with Rousey and Tate.
– Aug. 2, London: Press tour with Jones and Gustafsson.
– 3 p.m. BRT Aug. 2, HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro: Velasquez and dos Santos joint Q&A session prior to weigh-ins for UFC 163. Free and open to the public.
The UFC kicked off a multi-city international press tour this week with a laundry list of the company’s best fighters who will be featured in the biggest pay-per-views for the next few months.
On Tuesday, heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, former tit…
The UFC kicked off a multi-city international press tour this week with a laundry list of the company’s best fighters who will be featured in the biggest pay-per-views for the next few months.
On Tuesday, heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, former title-holder Junior dos Santos, light heavyweight king Jon Jones, top contender Alexander Gustafsson, welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and No. 1 ranked welterweight Johny Hendricks all took to the dais to answer questions from the media about their upcoming fights.
While all of the champions and challengers appeared to be fairly cordial throughout the process despite talking about knocking each other out, there was one pairing where the tension was so thick, it could be cut by a knife.
Miesha Tate and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will share space with the other top fighters during this media tour.
It’s safe to say they won’t be shaking hands or hugging after any photo opportunities.
There’s always been an uneasy discourse between the two women’s fighters ever since Rousey called out Tate following a fight in 2011, when she was the Strikeforce 135-pound champion.
Now more than a year later, with the two fighters ready to promote a season of The Ultimate Fighter that will lead into their fight on December 28 at UFC 168, Rousey and Tate’s hatred is already reaching a fevered pitch.
“How is it not a rivalry? I have everything that she wants in life,” Rousey answered when asked about the status of her rivalry with Tate.
Tate could only lean back in her chair with an uneasy feeling and smirk back at the confident champion who got the best of her in their first fight in 2012. For her part, Tate says the rivalry with Rousey isn’t about the championship or even revenge for the loss she has to her—it’s about respect.
“She has a lot of things I want, but that’s not what makes it a rivalry for me. It’s the level of disrespect that I’ve always felt, and that’s what makes it personal,” Tate stated. “I’ve faced a lot of people, I would say probably everybody but Ronda that I don’t have any beef with and have a tremendous amount of respect. She just has a way of irritating me, and vice versa, so that’s where I think the rivalry comes in.”
Stuck together on this tour for the next several days, Rousey and Tate will do their best to avoid one another outside of the moments when they have to come face to face. UFC president Dana White even said that while all of the other competitors could be trusted to be around each other without an incident happening, the same couldn’t be said for Rousey and Tate.
The two women fighters have been connected in some way for the better part of two years now, and it’s just something they’ve had to get used to dealing with. But don’t ever expect to see them grimacing at each other on stage and them smiling when the cameras are off.
Rousey and Tate are scowling at each other any time they are in close proximity.
“We’ve been involved with each other enough that we kind of have a rhythm of how we deal with each other. She mostly just doesn’t look me in the eye or talk to me a lot of the time,” Rousey said about Tate. “Which I like to relate to Mike Tyson’s speech about seeing the chink in the armor when your opponent won’t look you in the eye, and that’s pretty much how it goes all the time.”
Rousey‘s statement brought a lot of “ooh’s and ahh’s” from the Los Angeles crowd. Even Jon Jones, who was sitting at the table, was joining in on the action and said that he will have a front-row seat for this fight.
For her part, Tate says Rousey‘s impression of their interactions wasn’t true.
“That’s not what happened backstage,” Tate said.
When the press conference ended, all of the fighters were brought up one pair at a time to square off for photographers. Gustafsson did his best mean mug when staring back at Jones, and Hendricks even flexed his muscles a bit when facing off with St-Pierre, but nothing topped what the ladies brought to the table.
With White standing guard in the middle, Rousey and Tate faced off. There was an uncomfortable disdain between the two fighters. As they separated, Rousey quickly shot her middle finger at Tate without ever saying a word.
After all the fake beefs that happen in MMA to help sell a fight, Rousey and Tate are certainly proving that their rivalry is as real as it gets.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey seem to be the new Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. They hate each other, and make it as obvious as possible at every opportunity. They had one of those opportunities just now.
The UFC is amidst their…
Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey seem to be the new Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. They hate each other, and make it as obvious as possible at every opportunity. They had one of those opportunities just now.
The UFC is amidst their heavily-hyped world tour, and at their current stop in Los Angeles, California, the UFC brought together four of their champions (Ronda Rousey, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez) and their next opponents (Miesha Tate, Johny Hendricks, Alexander Gustafsson and Junior dos Santos).
As is customary, the fighters lined up for the face-to-face shots after they finished fielding questions, but while the other fighters all have a minimal level of bad blood between them, Rousey filled the event’s ill will quota with one finger.
As stated, Rousey and Tate have a very ugly rivalry these days. Rousey, a former Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, exploded into the mainstream sports world after taking Tate’s belt in August 2012 with a shocking first-round armbar. You wouldn’t know that Rousey was the one that won that fight, however, given her willingness to initiate conflict, and her constant barbs towards Tate (via Twitter).
“How is it not a rivalry? I have everything that she wants in life” –@RondaRousey on her conflict with Tate #TUF18#UFCWT
That said, while Rousey‘s insults get plenty of attention, Tate is no angel herself, and was involved in a well-documented incident where her much-hated boyfriend, Bryan Caraway, elbowed her at-the-time opponent, Cat Zingano, just hours before a fight.
The two are slated to fight in December after coaching opposite each other during The Ultimate Fighter season 18.
While vocal contender ChaelSonnen and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones almost completely put aside their rivalry during TUF17, UFC President Dana White has assured fans that the coaches’ rivalry will dominate the season, and the trailer that debuted this weekend certainly backed that up.
We’ll see how things shake out between these two as the year goes on. It will almost certainly be as vitriolic as anything we’ve seen in MMA.
The lives of professional fighters are filled with uncertainty; their successes and failures play out in the public eye for all to see.
