Miesha Tate admits Amanda Nunes was a huge roadblock on her way back to the title
Miesha Tate has seemingly acknowledged that Amanda Nunes was a huge roadblock on her way back to UFC gold. Back in July 2016, Tate was the UFC women's bantamweight champion and put her title on the line against Nunes at the UFC 200 event.
Their matchup witnessed 'The Lioness' thoroughly out-strike and out-grapple Tate. Nunes ended up defeating Tate via first-round submission and becoming the new UFC women's bantamweight champion.
Following that, Miesha Tate suffered a unanimous decision defeat against Raquel Pennington in November 2016 and then retired from the sport of MMA. However, Tate eventually returned to professional MMA competition in July 2021. Tate has gone 1-2 since her MMA return.
While partaking in the UFC's International Fight Week festivities this week, Tate spoke to the media regarding former UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes, who retired in June of this year.
'Cupcake' suggested that Amanda Nunes was an incredibly dominant force in women's MMA and a major hindrance in her (Tate's) quest to recapture the UFC bantamweight title. In response to a journalist implying that the women's bantamweight division has gotten a new lease of life since Nunes' departure, Tate stated:
"You're absolutely right... Yes. Absolutely. There was no way any of us were beating her. So, thank God. Because now the division is wide open, and I believe I'm one fight away [from a title shot]. I know that probably sounds wild. Some people are like, 'Wait a minute.'"
"But if you think about it, since my return, I had a really dominant finish win. And then I had a very close decision loss to a top-five girl [bantamweight] in Ketlen Vieira. So, although I haven't been super-active, I still think with a bang of a comeback at 135 [bantamweight] against a top-quality opponent, at least my name could be dropped in the bucket. I'm not saying that I would be picked for sure, but I'd like to at least be talked about in being in contention."
Watch Tate discuss the topic in the video below:
Miesha Tate believes she's "one fight away" from a title shot after Amanda Nunes' retirement.
"There was no way any of us were beating her. Thank god. Because now the division is wide open." https://t.co/JtXQAXF0FT
What's next for former UFC women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate?
Miesha Tate's MMA retirement lasted from November 2016 until her comeback fight in July 2021. She's competed in a pair of bantamweight bouts and one flyweight bout since her return.
'Cupcake' won her comeback fight, a bantamweight bout against Marion Reneau, via third-round TKO. Tate's next fight, a bantamweight showdown against Ketlen Vieira in November 2021, saw her lose via unanimous decision.
After a 5-year absence @MieshaTate made a triumphant return to the Octagon! 🧁
#UFCVegas31 https://t.co/QwhrG94mnJ
Miesha Tate also lost her next fight, which was also her most recent one. The fight in question was a flyweight bout against Lauren Murphy in July 2022, which Tate lost via unanimous decision.
Ranked No. 11 in the women's bantamweight division, Tate was expected to fight Mayra Bueno Silva in June of this year. However, 'Cupcake' suffered an injury, which, in turn, has delayed her much-awaited return to the octagon. Tate's comeback date and next opponent haven't been officially announced yet.