Miesha Tate served up a surprise earlier this week when she was coming out of retirement after over four years, and it sounds like the 34-year-old has rediscovered her passion for competing in the cage.
“I’m so excited, I really am. There is a fire that has been lit,” Tate said on her own SiriusXM show. “My heart is completely full of passion. I feel like I’m totally reinvigorated. When you know, you know, and I just know. I’ve always been that person to lead with my heart and do what I feel like my calling is in life and it’s never steered me wrong. I’ve been a person that can change direction very quickly and not be afraid to do it. I dive right in if I feel like it’s right and that’s what I’m here to do.
“The sport, it’s been calling for me. Like, let’s not like about that. I feel like it’s been calling me and now it’s time to answer.”
Tate’s first test will be against the 43-year-old Marion Reneau, in what wil coincidentally be her final fight before she retires.
“It was what the UFC said was available and I thought, ‘That’s fine with me,’” Tate said of the match-up. “It’s been four years since I’ve fought. I think that Marion Reneau, she’s solid in every area. She has that triangle choke of Sara McMann. She’s dangerous from the bottom, she can strike well and it’s her retirement fight. So I guess when they asked her about it, she was very excited…
“I think Marion Reneau is great and when you know it’s your last fight, there’s gonna be a lot of fire in there, a lot of passion because she’s obviously gonna want to go out on a win. She’s gonna put everything she has left in the gas tank because she’s not saving herself for the next fight. This is the tip of the hat, this is the final countdown for her, so I know she’s really gonna bring it. And for me I’ve got a lot to prove. I’ve got to shake of the five years and go out there and have a great performance and win and set off this second part of my career.”
Tate went on to reveal that she’s signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC and she fully intends to battle her way back into title contention and attempt to win back the bantamweight title she held back in 2016.
“I’ve got six fights on the contract, I’ve got two years that I know for sure I want to dedicate to this sport. But look, anything can happen off of one fight. I’ll be honest, I really don’t know exactly what to expect. That’s what’s so exciting for me… But I can tell you, for the next two years, that’s my plan, to be heavily involved in the sport. Obviously, I want to become a champion again…
“I’d love to run that one back. I would love to fight (Amanda Nunes) again because I know I have the style to beat her. I’m not at all gonna take anything away from her. She’s a scary woman and she hits like a man. I know that. I’ve been in there with her and I’ve seen what she’s done since then. But I know I have the style to beat her.”
