UFC 196: Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and the Shadow of Ronda Rousey
UFC champion Holly Holm has a big fight coming up – and it’s not against Ronda Rousey.
Holm (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), the UFC women’s Bantamweight titleholder, puts her belt on the line against Miesha Tate (17-5, 4-2) on Saturday at UFC 196. But with the questions she’s getting ahead of the fight, you’d hardly know it. At every press junket and promotional stop, the queries come about Rousey – her claims that she contemplated suicide following her loss to Holm last year, her upcoming movie roles, her potential rematch for the Bantamweight crown. What Holm wants to be asked about, however, is Tate, who may prove to be her toughest opponent yet.
“How much time are we going to spend on that?” Holm sighs after yet another Rousey question. “I have Miesha in front of me.”
If history is any indicator, Tate isn’t going to get out of the way, either. Don’t let her nickname (“Cupcake”) fool you; she’s one of the toughest athletes in the sport. Tate is the only fighter in the history of a major MMA organization to come back from being knocked down three times in a fight to stop their opponent inside the distance. Two fights ago, her orbital bone was cracked by a punch early in the first round, but she gutted out a decision over Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann.
She is as gritty as they come, but what makes her even more dangerous is the sizeable chip she’s carrying on her shoulder. Tate was supposed to be Rousey’s opponent at UFC 193, but even after being publicly announced as No. 1 contender, the promise was reneged and Holm took her spot. The rest is history.
“I was considering retiring out of frustration, not out of feeling like I didn’t have what it takes anymore,” Tate says. “They said, ‘Oh you’re going to fight for the title.’ Then, ‘Oh, wait – you’re not.’ My fate was in someone else’s hands and I was frustrated for a moment because I’m not in this for a participation ribbon, I’m in it to be a UFC champion.
“It felt like they were telling me it was never going to be an option,” she continues. “But fate has a way of working itself out and opportunity can present itself so destiny can fulfill itself. That’s where I think I’m at with this.”