When Miesha Tate returned from retirement she had hoped to become the UFC bantamweight champion again and revenge for her defeat by Amanda Nunes.
Nunes took the title from Tate back at UFC 200 in what was ultimately Tate’s penultimate fight before hanging up her gloves for nearly five years. Following her return in 2021, Tate lost a close fight to Ketlen Veira. This ultimately led to Tate’s decision to make the move to 125 weight at UFC Long Island.
Tate was keen to get another chance at Nunes but she felt satisfied watching Julianna Pena, her friend, dismantle the Brazilian. Now, she’s focused on taking out the current No. 1 pound-for-pound women’s fighter on the planet, Valentina Shevchenko.
” I would love to see Amanda again, but it was not possible. I felt fulfilled by Julianna’s performance, Tate stated on Wednesday. “I want to get rid of the other GOAT .”
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It turns out that Tate didn’t have to move to flyweight as she had hoped for it. The division wasn’t even there when Tate was active in UFC. Tate attributes the UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard’s idea for dropping to pounds.
“I said, ‘Well, which one’s going to get me to the title faster?'” Tate remembers. “He seemed to think that 125 was going to get me faster, and I said, ‘You know what? This makes sense .’
“Julianna has the title right now at 135. This sets me up perfectly, and who wouldn’t want to fight Valentina with all that she’s accomplished.”
After declaring her move to flyweight and booking a matchup against Lauren Murphy on Saturday, Tate ran into Shevchenko while both were training in Las Vegas. Tate described the encounter as cordial and said she was glad to have Shevchenko on her radar.
“She seemed nice,” Tate stated. “She said something along the lines like, ‘Now, it’s OK to be nice, maybe in the future on fight week, that will be different.’ Something [like that], I’m paraphrasing, but I said, “Yeah, absolutely. Nothing but love and respect outside of it, but fight time comes.’ It was comforting to me, because I think it meant she definitely sees me as a future opponent.
” I was thrilled to hear my name mentioned. Because if the champion is saying it, you know it’s going to have some value in it. Because she definitely has some pull in whether she goes up to 135 and fights, or stays right here at 125. That statement is mine, and she needs to do more in the .”
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Shevchenko named Tate as a potential opponent after a hard-fought split decision over Taila Santos. The title defense was by far her closest call since claiming the 125-pound title.
Tate, a veteran with numerous championship runs, knows that not all fights will be memorable. That’s what Tate saw that night with Shevchenko.
“I don’t think it was her best one,” Tate said. She was injured, so it’s understandable that she suffered. But, I have a good idea of Valentina at her best. She is an animal. She is an absolute beast.
“I’ve got to get this fight done with Lauren Murphy. This fight is an absolute treat. She is in the top five ranked so it is for me a great deal.
