Ronda Rousey Willing to Harvest the Miesha Tate Crop One More Time
Ronda Rousey has already defeated Miesha Tate twice in her career. Heading into Saturday’s UFC 190 showdown with Bethe Correia, however, Rousey has already been told that if she defends her bantamweight belt in Brazil, Tate will once again stand across from her in the Octagon.
And that’s okay by Rousey.
“If she’s the best competitor and she’s who the fans want to see then, yeah, I’m extremely interested in doing it,” said Rousey during a UFC 190 media call on Monday.
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“I’m an entertainer. I’m not just here for myself. I’m totally down if she’s the one… after I’m done beating Bethe.”
Rousey and Tate last fought less than two years ago, in December of 2013. Rousey defended her belt via armbar submission early in the third round, the longest anyone has remained in the fight with the undefeated champion.
That followed their fight in March of 2012, when Rousey submitted Tate via armbar inside the first round to take the Strikeforce championship.
Since that second defeat, however, Tate has put together a run of four consecutive victories. She’s taken out Liz Carmouche, Rin Nakai, Sara McMann, and most recently, Jessica Eye.
In short, there is no one left to stand between her and another shot at Rousey. Well, save for Bethe Correia, should the Brazilian win on Saturday.
There are many that have decried a third fight between Rousey and Tate, considering how the first two fights went, but Rousey isn’t surprised by Tate’s resurgence.
“I’m not surprised,” said Rousey. “(Tate’s) a great competitor and a great athlete. I’ve always said amazing things about her as a fighter.”
On a personal level, it’s another story. Rousey was not a fan of Tate as a person before they coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter, and she’s not a fan of Tate as a person now.
But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t see the growth in her adversary’s game.
“I need a dance partner, and the analogy I use a lot is these girls are like plants,” Rousey continued. “Sometimes you can grow a crop and you can harvest it year after year, like Miesha, and sometimes you harvest it once and it will never grow back. Like, I don’t think Bethe will ever come back after this.
“But I think this might be the final season I can harvest the Tate crop.”
Rousey first has to get past Correia on Saturday, but that’s not an area where she’s lacking in confidence. The Brazilian is just the next in line as Rousey builds her legacy.
“I’m interested in defending my title as many times as I need to before I feel like I’m done. If she’s the best competitor and she’s who the fans want to see, then I’m extremely interested in doing it.”
