Despite a five year layoff, Miesha Tate looked as good as ever on her return to the Octagon on Saturday night, securing a third round TKO victory over Marion Reneau, and now she’s ready to fight anyone in the bantamweight division as she seeks to forge a path back to the title.
“They’re all fair game,” Tate said at the post-fight presser. “They can all get it, respectfully. They can all come. I expected them to come out of the woodwork so that’s great. I think a fight with Holly a second time would be great. There’s a lot of women in the division. Name them all. I don’t know where I’ll come in the rankings right now but I’m never one to say I deserve this or I deserve that. I understand I’ve got to continue to climb but whoever’s name on that list to get to the top, that’s fine with me.
“I’m sure Holly and I, I have no doubt about it, before I retire her and I will fight again.”
That being said, while Tate’s overall goal is to win back the bantamweight belt, she’s not looking to be fast-tracked to the top of the division.
“I’m just going to do what’s right for me,” she said. “This is the first time I can say in my life that I’m the CEO. There is nobody else making decisions. Everybody that’s around me is here to support what I want, my dreams and my goals. So if it feels right, we’ll do it but I’m not in a rush. I want to make the most.
“When I do fight for the title, whoever that may be, it will be the right time and we’ll make sure that we’re ready. We’re not going to rush anything but we won’t miss any opportunities either.”
