Even before her stint as the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate had been facing the biggest names in her division. But when she won the belt in March, talks about a possible fight against Cris Cyborg began to surface.
Cyborg made her UFC debut two months later, and already has two fights under her belt which were both fought at a catchweight of 140 pounds. For her part, Tate is open to the facing the Invicta featherweight champion under the same terms, especially now that she no longer holds the 135-pound world title.
“When I was the champ, they told me that they would not do a catchweight, so either she has to meet you at 135 or you have to not be the champion. So now that I’m not the champion, I technically could fight her at 140. I wouldn’t be against it. The thing is, I just feel like I have nothing to lose in that,” Tate said during her recent appearance on The MMA Hour.
Cyborg is still considered as one of the women to beat in MMA today, and has not experienced defeat since her debut in 2005. A victory against her would definitely be a feather in the cap for anyone, and it is something that Tate recognizes.
“You’re fighting a girl who’s such a powerhouse and such a beast and just crushing girls. If I went in there and I beat her, or even gave her a solid run for her money, it says a lot. So I wouldn’t be opposed to doing it, but it’s not something that’s been discussed.”
Tate will be facing number eight-ranked Raquel Pennington as the first main card attraction at UFC 205 on November 12th in New York City.