Miesha Tate posted a statement on Instagram Friday to express her disappointment with not getting a title shot against Ronda Rousey.
The UFC announced Friday that former boxer/kickboxer Holly Holm would be receiving the next crack at Rousey, leaving Tate disappointed.
“I am extremely disappointed how all the events unfolded this morning regarding news that I will not be fighting Ronda Rousey,” Tate said over Instagram. “I was told after my last win that I had earned the title shot. I’ve already begun training for Rousey and I was shocked to hear the announcement this morning. I regret this for not only myself, but my team, sponsors and the fans who like me believed my next fight was for the title.”
Tate is 17-5, with two of her losses coming to Rousey. She fell to the champ in a Strikeforce fight in 2012 and again in late 2013, though in that fight she became the first person to ever take Rousey beyond the first round. Since suffering that second defeat to Rousey, Tate had won four fights in a row and believed she was in line for a third fight. However, the UFC felt differently.
“A third fight in a rivalry usually comes after the stuff we’d see in [Arturo] Gatti-[Micky] Ward,” Dana White said. “With Miesha, the result has been the same twice. Everyone’s already seen that fight.”
I completely agree with White. We’ve already seen this twice. There is no hurry to see it a third time, especially when Tate hasn’t even looked that impressive in her last four fights, going the distance in all four and winning by decisions. But if Rousey beats Holm, then the UFC might not have much of a choice but to go back to Tate for a third fight. They’re in a hurry to get as many fights out of Rousey as possible before the superstar leaves the fight game for a movie (and potential superhero?) career. The only really intriguing fight left for Rousey after Holm would be Cyborg, and who knows if that will ever be made.
