Miesha Tate Accepts Tito Ortiz’ Offer To Help ‘Cyborg’ Train
UFC Women’s bantamweight contender Miesha Tate lost the biggest fight of her life at UFC 168 when she was submitted by a third round armbar from champion Ronda Rousey.
The two fighters had spent the entire drama-filled season of The Ultimate Fighter 18 bickering at one another, leading to an intense buildup that culminated in the UFC 168 co-main event. Many viewers became weary of Rousey’s intense competitive nature on the show, so much so that many of her fans began to flock to Tate’s side.
Once regarded as the poster girl for the UFC, Rousey was actually booed when she refused to shake Tate’s hand after the December 28 event in Las Vegas.
Tate was resilient in her second bid against “Rowdy,” but she could never get any significant offense mounted against the dominant, undefeated titleholder. She did, however, become the first woman to take Rousey outside of the first round.
That’s just not a good enough consolation prize for Tate, who is now stuck in a sort of woman’s MMA purgatory since she has lost twice to her division’s champion and once to its number one contender in Cat Zingano.
But it looks like a certain someone has an idea of how to get ‘Cupcake’ back on her feet.
Tito Ortiz, manager of current Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, invited Tate to come help his client prepare for her next bout, saying that it could mutually benefit both fighters. Tate was quick to accept:
@titoortiz @criscyborg anytime!
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) January 4, 2014
His well-documented struggles with UFC brass aside, Ortiz may actually have a point here. Tate could use some training alongside a strong grappler like the Brazilian “Cyborg,” and Justino would in turn benefit from the tutelage of someone who has faced Rousey twice.
“Cyborg” has of course long been rumored to face off with Rousey in the UFC. While neither party has budged concerning a suitable weight limit, the proposed fight is often advertised as the biggest women’s MMA fight ever should it realistically happen.
Justino has made it clear that she won’t cut down to Rousey’s home of 135 pounds, even going so far as to cite problems with her eventually having a child if she were to cut that much weight. Regardless, she would be well served to gain any and all knowledge Tate has of Rousey if the two champions do indeed lock horns in the Octagon one day.
That’s an interesting pairing. Will Tate get her revenge on Rousey in a roundabout way?
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea for USA TODAY Sports
