As former champion Miesha Tate prepares for her return to motion in Could, she’s not solely seeking to beat Yana Santos, however she additionally needs to make a closing push at profitable a UFC title once more earlier than her profession is over.
Already acknowledged as one of the completed ladies’s fighters in historical past, the bantamweight veteran didn’t compete in any respect in 2024 resulting from a myriad of causes together with lingering accidents, motherhood and increasing her enterprise empire. That mentioned, Tate guarantees that she’s coming again with a vengeance and hopes {that a} second straight win on her resume places her that a lot nearer to an eventual title shot.
“A really perfect yr is win this struggle, win one other struggle and be calling for a title shot,” Tate instructed MMA Preventing. “I would like that turnover as rapidly as doable as a result of I really feel like I’m right here for a very good time, not for a very long time so I’m attempting to make it occur on this yr. We’ll see what occurs. That is my yr I really feel prefer to both make it occur or not.”
Proper now a path to profitable a UFC title once more would journey via Julianna Pena, who grew to become a two-time bantamweight champion along with her victory over Raquel Pennington this previous yr. All indicators are pointing in direction of Pena making her first title protection in opposition to two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison someday later this yr, though an actual date hasn’t been decided but.
Tate has lengthy thought-about Pena a really shut good friend they usually’ve spent an enormous a part of their careers coaching collectively, which even included a stint on The Final Fighter actuality present. With Tate serving as coach, Pena was her prime choose on the collection earlier than she went onto win your entire competitors.
As a result of they share a lot historical past collectively, Tate admits it could be extremely bittersweet to earn her means again to a chance to turn out to be UFC champion once more just for Pena to be the final remaining impediment in her means.
The state of affairs grows much more troublesome when contemplating Tate combating any person like Harrison would resolve these issues however she would by no means fathom rooting in opposition to Pena.
“I ideally don’t wish to need to struggle Julie for a title as a result of we’re mates and we have now a protracted historical past and I’ve a lot respect and love for her,” Tate mentioned. “She’s accomplished a lot for me early on in my profession. She was there, she was a physique, she was all the time recreation. I’m so grateful for the contributions that Julie made to my profession.
“So I wish to her to win within the matchup with Kayla, however I additionally wish to struggle for a title struggle, and I don’t wish to struggle Julie. So it’s like both means it’s not going to work out precisely how I might love for it to. So I’m simply going to depart it within the destiny of God and the universe of no matter occurs.”
As a lot as she doesn’t need the Pena struggle, Tate has the identical thought on that potential matchup as she did as champion after dethroning Holly Holm again in 2016.
Tate knew profitable the title put an enormous goal on her again and she or he would by no means fault anybody coming after her in hopes of turning into champion — and that included Pena.
“I used to be like look I’ll by no means maintain that away from you,” Tate mentioned about her dialog with Pena again then. “I’ll by no means flip you away or be like ‘hey, you possibly can’t have a shot at my belt’ as a result of it’s the belt, it’s the dream. It isn’t private.
“I might hope she would have that very same understanding that this isn’t private. That is friendship apart. That is simply goals and aspirations and what not. Would I struggle Julie for a title? Sure, I might. If that’s what it comes right down to then I might.”
First issues first, Tate has to get via Santos on Could 3 after which Pena is predicted to defend her title in opposition to Harrison within the close to future.
In the case of that struggle, Tate understands the hype and a spotlight that Harrison has acquired ever since she signed with the UFC, however nearly as good as she’s seemed via two fights up to now, dealing with off in opposition to Pena is an entire totally different type of animal.
“I all the time suppose Julie is so a lot better than folks give her credit score for,” Tate mentioned. “As a result of it’s whenever you’re the armchair skilled and also you’re sitting on the sideline and also you don’t know what sort of energy that she places behind her strikes. You don’t know the type of tenacity and resiliency that girl has and the issues that she does properly. She appears to be like awkward doing them generally however that’s even more durable when you’re standing in entrance of any person they usually’re so unorthodox. They only do every little thing in a different way.
“However Julie’s so framed along with her putting. So sure, it’s not snappy, however whenever you get hit by her, it’s in contrast to many of the ladies within the division. It’s not cute. It’s not like a pink bunny rabbit. It’s like a Mack truck simply blowing via your physique. I don’t know the way else to elucidate it. She’s unbelievable. I believe that’s the place it may actually catch Kayla off guard.”
Make no mistake, Harrison’s world-class judo expertise give her a path to victory as properly however Tate gained’t ever depend Pena out of a struggle, particularly if she will be able to drag the previous PFL champion down into the muddy waters the place she higher geared up to win.
“Kayla has an unbelievable talent set. We can not deny the lady,” Tate mentioned. “She ought to be precisely the place she’s at. She’s acquired an excellent talent set, however if you’re speaking a few full on fist struggle and slugging it out and who would shrink back or break first simply whenever you’re speaking about these exchanges, I do know it’s not Julie. If Kayla can come up with Julie and get her down, she’s all the time acquired a path to victory in that. However do I believe she’ll win on the toes? No, I don’t suppose so in any respect. And do I believe on the bottom she’s going to have a straightforward time with Julie even when she will get her there? Completely not — which I do suppose she’ll get Julie there. I imply she’s simply too good. She’s too properly rounded, she’s acquired nice judo, she’ll get Julie down however don’t be stunned if Julie will get on prime of her and that may very well be a nightmare for Kayla. Julie has nice reversals from the underside.
“So she’s scrappy and tenacious and there’s no quantity of injury that can ever even gradual Julianna down. I believe we’ve seen that within the struggle with Amanda [Nunes]. It gained’t even gradual her down. It’s important to completely kill Julie to get a victory. That’s how I take a look at it.”
