As Miesha Tate prepared to make her entrance, a firm grin stretched across her face. The signature double plaits hung over each shoulder and a determined look enveloped her eyes. Focus was solely on the Strikeforce hexagon that stood in front of her. She appeared confident, relaxed, and excited to defend her bantamweight championship against the challenger awaiting her arrival, Ronda Rousey.

The Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, raised the roof as Tate made her entrance. She held the title high as she walked to the cage, proud of her championship and convinced she would walk away with the title in tow. As Jimmy Lennon Jr introduced the champion, the grin disappeared. There was no smiling, no laughing. It was time for business. 

Looking back, it's now clear this was an historic moment. Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White has said as much, crediting the Tate vs Rousey clash on March 3, 2012 as the key factor in the creation of women's divisions in the UFC.

The fight, of course, did not go as Tate had envisioned. Although she lasted much longer than any previous opponent, Rousey was able to lock in a vicious armbar late in the first round. Tate held out, but eventually had no choice but to succumb to the submission. The arm had been hyper-extended at a vicious angle, forcing those with weak stomachs to turn away. It was clearly dislocated.

“I couldn’t see, but I knew it was bad. It was a feeling I had never felt before. It felt funny, just really weird. I knew it was dislocated, and I knew things were probably torn,” Tate recalls.

After a doctor’s examination, it was determined there were severe muscle tears and extensive damage to the ligaments in her arms. Tate was told by doctors that had the bone broken, the healing process would have been easier as “bones heal faster than tendons.” This was the kind of injury which could be career threatening, both physically and mentally. 

With that in mind, Tate says: “Part of me wishes I didn’t tap at all. If I was going to wait that long, I might as well have not tapped and waited for the referee to stop it.”

Just a couple of months removed from suffering the injury, the former champion reveals the healing process is going well. Her arm is almost back to full health and a return is tentatively scheduled for late this year. 

“Healing is way farther along track then the doctors expected,” she says. “I’m very happy with the recovery. I’m nearly back to everything I want to do. I’ve been training lightly and will return to full training very soon.”  

Mentally, the loss could have been demoralizing. Tate entered the cage against her most hated nemesis and succumbed to a painful defeat. She also had her arm severely injured in the process. Instead of defending the world title she coveted so dearly, Tate lost to her outspoken rival who was, at the time, less than a year into her professional career. 

Despite the setback, Tate has continued to maintain a positive mindset. The loss did not discourage her from the sport she loves and, if anything, has pushed her to be a better fighter. “I’m fine mentally, it didn’t affect me. I’m not the kind of person that focuses on the negative. Of course I wish I had won. I still believe I can win that fight,” she adds.

It’s that confidence which took Tate to the very top of the women’s 135lb division, and that same focus is undoubtedly fueling her return to the cage. All she wants is a rematch with Rousey, as Tate insists things will be different next time. 

She finished: “I can compete on the ground with Rousey. A five-year-old could throw harder ground ‘n’ pound. And I think she knows now that I can beat her.” 

Afterword:

Meisha Tate got her wish for a rematch: UFC 168 saw her facing off against Rousey in Las Vegas. Sadly for her, she lost again in the Fight of the Night - to another submission. Meisha continued to fight - and win - until successive losses to Amanda Nunes in UFC 200 and to Raquel Pennington in UFC 205 in December 2016, after which she announced her retirement with a win-loss record of 18-7.