When the motivation to fight leaves an MMA fighter, retirement soon follows. At UFC 205, we saw that scenario play out with longtime women’s superstar Miesha Tate.
I had a lot more to give but couldn’t pull it out of myself
It should be noted that Tate has not come from a specialised combat background like Ronda Rousey, who competed in world championships and the olympics as a judoka. Similar to Rousey, Holly Holm had a professional boxing career spanning 38 bouts. But this was neither a hindrance nor a restraint to Tate within fights, as she was able to count on her forte of grappling and the ability to mix up strikes to frustrate and to overwhelm her opponents. Making her tools even more effective, Tate possessed the attitude to bite down hard on her gum shield and continue to throw down when the going got rough.This type of mentality and endurance led her to not only becoming a Strikeforce champion but to capturing the UFC bantamweight championship as well.
The only blemish you can find on her fight record is that she has never made a successful defence of either title under those two different promotions. This could be an assimilation of pressure and anticipation, or it could be more simple. Maybe Rousey was just too much for her when they met for the belt, and maybe Amanda Nunes caught her on the button early and never let up.
Now, Nunes and Rousey will contest the bantamweight belt at UFC 207 which will be Nunes first defence. If one focuses on Tate’s championship defeats, they must also observe her triumphs. First, look at how she got to the heights of achieving two belts under different promotional banners. With Strikeforce, she seized the bantamweight belt from Marloes Coenen by way of an arm-triangle submission. Coenen is an enormously tough opponent who went seven rounds with Cris Cyborg across two bouts during her 30-fight career (and counting) .
Fast forward five years to UFC 196, and we see a co-main event hosting the first defence of Holly Holm’s bantamweight reign. Holm was coming off of a victory of seismic proportions at UFC 193, incapacitating Rousey mentally and physically to the point she had to take time off from fighting. Tate, meanwhile, was coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Jessica Eye that earned her the right to be Holm’s first defence. Tate would go on and defeat Holm via last-minute rear-naked choke, and the fight not only earned itself performance of the night, but there was a new women on the throne, and the “cupcake” now had a little more frosting on it.
At this juncture, there were only two opponents that sprung to mind when Tate won the belt Rousey or Nunes and many fans wondered if “Cupcake” could hold onto the belt for long when faced with the aforementioned opposition.
In the five months from UFC 196, the UFC was fast approaching its landmark UFC 200 event, and it would be there Tate would face the rising talent Nunes with the world watching.
It was over almost before it began. Nunes demolished Tate, inflicting facial injuries including a broken nose inside the first round. Tate’s image after the fight was a memorable one, her hood draped over her head with a tissue supporting her nose. This type of punishment seemingly served a wake-up call to her as she understood the type of fights expected of a fighter when you become a champion.
Following UFC 200, the UFC was embarking on another landmark event at UFC 205 housed in the majestic Madison Square Garden. Tate was on the main card against Raquel “Rocky” Pennington, a fighter she coached on The Ultimate Fighter. This fight would allow Tate to get the feeling of the canvas between her feet and put her back on the road to another title challenge. What followed could only be described as a reserved performance by Tate, a third-round unanimous decision defeat, her fourth in the UFC. Along with the judges, Tate made her own decision, saying she would walk away from the spotlight of the Octagon.
It’s not my time anymore. It’s the future’s time
As a fan, one almost hopes Tate was simply overwhelmed by the moment and is taking a leave of absence, away from the spotlight, a chance to recharge her batteries and to receive some much-needed recovery come back stronger than ever. The first women to try an extended recovery period and come back for the moment is Rousey, and we shall see how that plays out for her, positively or negatively.
At the end of 2016 the bantamweight division could be without two of its most important pillars from an era that kickstarted women fighting in the UFC. Although it won’t change the complexity of the rankings too much, it will cast a shadow on a division that fans have had to block their eyes from the sun in terms of talent.
Retirement is part and parcel of a participant’s career in any sport. Tate’s announcement might have seemed early, but it might just be right on time. In 2017, it will be interesting to watch who will be the next fighter, to take the bantamweight division to the next level. It will take someone special to do this in the way that Tate has achieved, who is a cornerstone of this division.
