UFC fans and followers experienced yet another jolt of excitement as Miesha Tate weaves her way towards the championship - and ultimately, back to the No 1 fighter's path. With her win against Jessica "Evil" Eye on Saturday, which marks her fourth consecutive victory in a row, the former UFC bantamweight champion now aims to take another shot at the title. As per the sports' policies, the incredibly impressive performance and comeback of Tate now guarantees her the opportunity to face off with her most formidable nemesis to date.
"Miesha is such a durable human being," said UFC president Dana White via Fox Sports. The president also revealed that the most recent victory of Tate over Eye now places her at the top spot. Hence, the returning champ is currently the No 1 contender for the UFC bantamweight title which is in the hands of Ronda Rousey. The UFC 190 main event in August, however, might tell a different story with regard Tate's potential opponent. Should Bethe Correia manage to defeat Rowdy in one of the most highly anticipated matches in UFC history, then Tate will have to face her instead. Either way, Tate has a cast iron shot at the title.
White went on to say, referring to Tate's performance in the UFC, "She will stand in front of you and take what you've got 'cause she was getting picked apart in that first round and she keeps coming forward to land what she needs to land or get you to the ground or do what she has to do to win and she did it again tonight." To further point out where No 1 contender currently stands, the UFC president said, "She [Tate] has worked her way back to Ronda Rousey."
Unsurprisingly, Tate is more than eager to once again face Rousey who defeated her twice in a row since their widely popular match in March 2012. Commenting on her victory over eye, Tate said that a victory against Rousey with merit a bigger celebration. "I mean, a bigger goal for me would be a win over Ronda, but in the big picture, my biggest goal is getting gold," the No 1 contender shared during the post-fight press conference, according to Bloody Elbow. She added, "I want to say before I retire that I was the UFC world champion, so at the end of the day it doesn't matter who has the belt. That's the biggest goal."
As for her strategy regarding a potential match against Rousey for the championship, Tate shared, "She doesn't like to be hit, and I need to be able to deliver that finishing power on the feet." She further stated, "I'm always ready. I love punching Ronda in the face."
While Tate is clearly no big fan of the current UFC champ, her prediction regarding the upcoming UFC 190 main event leans towards Rousey. She said, "Bethe is undefeated. I think everyone in this sport has a chance." Tate went on to say, "She's 9-0, she's been beating girls so there's always a chance, but who do I think's going to win the fight? I think Ronda's going to win the fight."
