Miesha Tate says Cris Cyborg was ‘humanized’ during UFC run

Miesha Tate looks back on Cris Cyborg’s UFC run as the time the unstoppable force met her match.

Cyborg had long been regarded as the most dominant female in mixed martial arts history. She pummeled Gina Carano back in Aug. 2009 to leave no doubt as to who the Strikeforce queen was. While she never got a chance to face Ronda Rousey, Cyborg’s dominance lasted longer than Rousey’s. This of course includes Cyborg’s battles outside the UFC, as Rousey had a longer title reign within the world’s most recognized MMA promotion.

After going 20-0, 1 NC in her last 21 outings, Cyborg was knocked out by Amanda Nunes in 51 seconds. Cyborg hadn’t lost a bout since May 2005. After a nasty split from the UFC, Cyborg expects to sign with a new promotion soon.

During a recent edition of SiriusXM’s MMA Tonight show, Miesha Tate discussed how she’ll remember Cyborg’s time under the UFC banner.

“I think I will remember it as the time when she was humanized,” Tate said. “And I don’t mean that as any kind of put-down for Cyborg. I actually look at it as her opportunity to come back stronger. But she was invincible for so long and when people are invincible for so long, you start to notice the time when they finally fall.”

Tate went on to say that fans can learn a lot about fighters when they are coming off their first loss in a substantial period of time.

“And she has a great chance like how [Demetrious Johnson does], right?” Tate continued. “After a long reign. It’s almost refreshing to see somebody lose one time just so you could see how they come back from it. That’s where the story really begins, that’s where it gets interesting. I always say winning is easy, losing is where you see the true character of somebody and the ability to adapt, come back, learn, get stronger. And that’s I think what we saw against Felicia Spencer. She’s on the road to recovery. She’s redeeming herself. Now she’s a free agent. It gets really interesting from here on out.”

What did you think of Miesha Tate’s take on the UFC career of Cris Cyborg?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/12/2019.