Miesha Tate has offered a surprising perspective on her long-standing rivalry with Ronda Rousey.
The two women’s MMA icons squared off twice for bantamweight titles, first in Strikeforce and then in the UFC.
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Rousey won both bouts by submission, cementing her place at the top and leaving a lasting mark on one of the sport’s most intense rivalries.
Miesha Tate recently posted a video where she looked back on her rivalry with Ronda Rousey.
Miesha Tate explains why she’s grateful for losing to Ronda Rousey
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images for Netflix
Over time, what started as animosity has shifted into something more positive for Tate, who now feels gratitude when looking back on those days.
“I had what you would call an arch nemesis, Ronda Rousey. She was my biggest rival, and to this day is still one of the biggest rivalries ever, if not the biggest, in women’s MMA to date,” Tate said in the clip shared on Thursday.
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“And at the time, it was so infuriating and frustrating. And I never did get the upper hand on her in a fight. I never did win. She beat me two times, right? So, I had to suck it up.
“But in hindsight, when I look back at that, the only thing that I take away from that experience is gratitude. I’m so grateful to have had someone to stand opposite and oppose me, and push the absolute most out of me, essentially past my breaking points.
“There was mental breaks, there was emotional breaks, there was physical breaks. There was just all the damage that could be done. But I walked away with so much more, knowing that I can overcome the hard stuff and the determination to prove to myself.”
Miesha Tate shares thoughts after Ronda Rousey’s return fight
Rousey had previously announced she would be fighting Gina Carano, who was also making her first appearance in the octagon since 2009.
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The former UFC champion, without a doubt one of the most influential figures in MMA history, went on to submit Carano in just 17 seconds and then retired immediately after the fight. Tate said:
“There’s no way I could have ended it better than this,” she said in the cage after beating Gina Carano.
”I want to have some more babies, and I got to get cooking.”
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