Issue 125

February 2015

Outside the title talk in 2014, Miesha Tate is building a record to get back into contention, but that’s not her only focus.

Miesha Tate is hellbent on a trilogy fight with arch-rival Ronda Rousey, regardless of what happens when she battles former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann at UFC 183 on January 31st in Las Vegas.

In fact, Tate is adamant she would fight ‘Rowdy’ as many times as the UFC allowed her to. Despite the personality clash that caused the two leading ladies in MMA to have one of the sport’s most turbulent rivalries, she dreams about fighting her nemesis. Indeed, she relishes the competition, as she is munificent enough to admit Rousey has raised the bar for all women in MMA.

Her journey towards another title shot began in September against Rin Nakai in Japan. However, it was more than just a fight, it became a question of what’s appropriate in terms of female sexuality in combat sports. 

Nakai promoted the fight, and previous bouts, by featuring in a number of fetish videos – eating yoghurt, making desserts, bouncing on a bouncy ball etc. She even turned up at the UFC press conference wearing a prom dress.

Even for Tate, one of the most glamorous women fighting in the UFC, this was something of a culture shock.

“It was extremely bizarre,” she tells FO. “I thought it was perhaps more culturally acceptable in Japan, but I went over there and I asked and most of the Japanese fans I spoke to thought it was very strange as well. It was not common over there, they said. She’s created her own niche and it’s different and something I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing, but she’s unique because of it.”

Although confused by her opponent’s antics, that didn’t stop ‘Cupcake’ from beating Nakai over three dominant rounds. Substance conquered style. That’s not to say Tate is lacking in the style department, of course. Tate has also shown her femininity and sexuality despite competing in a male-dominated sport. Instead, she appears on magazine covers and dresses to impress, which shouldn’t stop her from being respected as a mixed martial artist. 

“There’s way too much emphasis placed on female fighters to fit a certain mold,” she said. “A lot of men think women are not as capable or are more fragile. They think we’re not valuable unless we’re seen as being hot. That’s really unfortunate. It’s sexism at its finest.”

Not only is Tate under the scrutiny of the public eye for being a beautiful female fighter who isn’t afraid to put on 4oz gloves or a dress, she’s also dating Bryan Caraway, another successful UFC fighter. This shines a greater light on the pair, as a couple, and has allowed the likes of arch-rival Ronda Rousey to use the relationship as ammunition during verbal jousting. It gets ugly. Sometimes it even appears Rousey’s biggest beef is with Caraway, not Tate.

But, of course, Tate wouldn’t change her boyfriend, training partner and coach for the world.

“He values me even more as time goes on – as being a valuable part of his corner,” she says. “I think I was always valued, but it was a case of him being the coach and I wasn’t. He wouldn’t want me to give him any technical advice, he’d just want me to be there for moral support. 

“But now it seems like he does look to me for that. He does want to know what I’m thinking and what I see from my perspective.”

She adds: “When he first met me he was very thrown off by the idea that I wanted to fight. He didn’t support it. We stopped dating for about a year and I continued fighting. One day it finally clicked with him and he was like, ‘Oh, she’s the same as I am. She has the same drive and passion I have. Why should I be the one to hold that against her?’ 

“That’s when it clicked in his mind and he has been OK with it ever since. He wasn’t the biggest fan of me fighting but he thought that if I’m going to do this he’s going to make me the best fighter I could be. After that, he came to admire me. Then I started to inspire him.”

The fighting couple are now inextricably linked, seemingly inseparable on fight night. They go through the rigors and emotional torment of a fighting career twice over. Yet this is what they have chosen to do with their lives. Fighting is what drives them. 

So much so, Tate is prepared to make sacrifices in other areas of her life to fulfill her dream. For now, at least. “I’m not 100% set on having children,” she said. “I feel like if the time comes and I want to, that’s great. But if the time never comes, that’s OK, too.”

Far more important to her right now are two things; winning the UFC world bantamweight championship and gaining revenge over ‘Rowdy’ Ronda. If she can achieve those two goals in one fell swoop, by beating Rousey for the belt, all the better. It’s certainly her plan for 2015.

“I still eventually want to get that belt at some point,” she says. “It’s still on my mind and I’d still like to have a trilogy with Ronda. There’s rarely a day that goes by without me hearing her name in some way, shape or form.”

“I have other things that drive me,” she adds. “I feel that being an opposing force to Ronda, my message is entirely different to hers. I feel like that really drives me. I want young women to know that you don’t have to be spiteful or angry or anything like that to be successful. You can be feminine, strong, bold, beautiful, sweet, kind, aggressive, badass and you can embody all those things.”