Miesha Tate: ‘There’s not a doubt in my mind’ that a Ronda Rousey trilogy bout goes differently

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey share one of the most famous rivalries in MMA history, if not the most famous. Given the opportunity, Tate is fully confident that a trilogy bout sees different results from the first two outings.

Throughout her storied career, Tate put on several incredible performances in numerous classic fights. Three of those coming against the likes of Rousey, Cat Zingano, and Holly Holm. When asked who she would be most interested in fighting against again out of the three, she answered in that order.

"In my mind I've got six fights that I want to guarantee over these next 2 years."@RondaRousey, @CatZingano, & @HollyHolm .. If @MieshaTate had her choice, who would she like to face after her July 17th return against Marion Reneau?#UFC @UFC pic.twitter.com/5HcJA8pJit

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) April 8, 2021

“There’s not a doubt in my mind it would be different, for sure,” Miesha Tate told MMA on SiriusXM regarding a Rousey trilogy matchup. “I’m just so different myself, I don’t know how to explain, I just want you guys to see it on July 17. Just things that I didn’t realize and I didn’t compute before as a fighter and things I feel like I’m finally picking up at this stage in my life. I don’t know, call it maturity, maybe sitting back observing this sport, watching, and not being under the pressure to compete all the time has allowed me to kind of look at this in a more cerebral way.

“I used to very much be a brawler and tough, I still have the mental toughness, I still have the fight but I feel like for the first time I’m tapping into my fight IQ and really going to go about things in a different way than I did before. At least to start fights. Fights are fights, right? It’s liable to get crazy at any point. But I’m much different than I ever was before.”

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey first met in their Strikeforce headlining clash in 2012. Unfortunately for “Cupcake,” Rousey would take her newly earned title via gnarly first-round armbar. Just over a year, later and the two ran things back in the UFC with Rousey as the champion and Tate the challenger. Once again, “Rowdy” got the better of her rival but this time the action was more drawn out as the armbar came in round three – it was the only fight of Rousey’s 14-fight career that escaped the opening round.

Now set to return on July 17 against Marion Reneau at UFC fight night event likely pinned for Las Vegas, Tate expects to be the “second most hunted woman” in the division behind the current champion, Amanda Nunes.

Going forward, Miesha Tate has six fights in her mind as the target she wants to guarantee over these next two years.