The idea that Miesha Tate—by most metrics the UFC's second-most popular female fighter—could walk away from the sport at 29 years old is nearly unfathomable.
And yet, that's exactly what could be on the horizon.
It all started when Tate was bypassed for a title shot against Ronda Rousey. She'd handily beaten Jessica Eye this summer in what was billed as a title eliminator. Afterwards, UFC president Dana White confirmed Tate had earned another title shot. Tate, who had already lost to Rousey twice, had worked her way back to the summit of her division. She had a four-fight winning streak.
But promises and guarantees made by the UFC are a tenuous thing. There have been countless instances of a fighter being promised something, only to have it taken away when White or someone else in the UFC brass changed their minds. A promise from the UFC is sometimes worthless.
Tate found this out the hard way when White changed his mind a few weeks later. She was bypassed for the championship fight in favor of former boxing champion Holly Holm. The fight was announced on Good Morning America, and Tate heard about the news in the worst way possible: from concerned friends and from media texting her to ask for a comment. She wasn't even extended the courtesy of hearing the bad news from her boss.
Tate probably should've known better than to count on something she was told—especially by White, a promoter who will say anything he feels necessary in the moment, whether it is true or not—but it is easy to see this from her point of view. Her fight was marketed as a title eliminator, and she won, and then she was told she'd get the next title shot. Then everything changed, and she went from having earned the shot to needing one or two more fights to get there.
Most fighters in this position would likely complain for a bit, but then they'd shut up and move on, because finding yourself in a war of words with your boss isn't the best career move. And in the past, Tate might've done the same thing. But as it turns out, she's tired of being quiet. On Monday, she appeared on The MMA Hour and told host Ariel Helwani that unless the UFC made big changes in the way they handle her career, she's more than willing to walk away from the sport.
I just got really depressed, honestly. I wasn't very happy or very motivated at that moment, I didn't know what to think, so it took me a couple weeks to kind of wrap my mind around it and get back up on the horse and start training again, and start thinking about what I want to do. Then I heard Dana White announce, ‘Miesha is one more fight away,' and I'm like, okay, shoot, it's not what I wanted but one more fight isn't that bad. And then he's like, 'oh, she's still a few more fights away.' I see another headline come out. I'm like, what is going on here? Like, realistically, you seem to be reneging on the entire thing, and I don't know what's going on. One fight? Two fights? How many fights, if ever?
I think the handling of it stings more than anything. I just felt like it was poorly handled. I've been a professional, I've been a team player with the UFC. I've always been a company woman. I just felt a little bit frustrated that it wasn't handled differently.
And now she's voicing her frustration in a very public manner. These things usually don't end well for the fighter, because the UFC holds much of the power in all negotiations. Tate said she will be sitting down with White later this month, just the two of them, to hammer out the issues between them. But if they aren't taken care of to her liking, she'll retire.
One of Tate's major issues is the discrepancy in pay between her and Rousey. Rousey, the UFC's biggest star, reportedly made $6 million just from her fight purses last year, according to Forbes. Tate said she made "nowhere near that," and it is frustrating for her. In the UFC's defense, Rousey's position in the sport ensures she will be paid far more than most athletes on the roster because she drives pay per view sales in a way nobody else does. But Tate is a popular fighter in her own right. Not on Rousey's level, for sure, but popular enough that she should be earning far more than she is.
Her other issue is the fact that she's facing better competition than Rousey and was still passed over for the title shot. Holm is ranked No. 7 in the latest UFC rankings. Tate is No. 1. Eye was in the top five when Tate beat her, and yet Holm was given the title shot. After giving Holm the title shot, the UFC offered Tate a fight with Amanda Nunes, who is currently ranked No. 3.
Something isn't adding up.
Yes, Rousey has beaten Tate twice, but one of those fights happened in Strikeforce and is barely a blip in our memories at this point. A third fight between the two is absolutely marketable, regardless of what happened in the previous two fights. People tune in for Rousey fights regardless of her opponent, but there's no way you can say with a straight face that a bout between Rousey and Tate isn't marketable. It is. Especially when you consider the fact that Tate lasted longer with the champion than anyone else has.
A rumor sparked by Aljamain Sterling has circulated that Tate's title shot might've been taken away as punishment for her boyfriend, bantamweight Bryan Caraway, turning down fights with both Urijah Faber and Sterling. There is no way to ever really confirm if that's true or not, because White is likely the only person who knows, and he sure won't admit it. But if it is true, then it's an absolute shame and embarassment. The UFC can be petty and vindictive, but that is taking things to another level.
It would be a real shame if Tate isn't able to patch things up with the UFC, if she retires from the sport at such a young age. But at the same time, she must be commended for taking a stand for something she believes in. So often fighters are content to stay quiet for fear they may lose their job for speaking out of turn. It is unfortunate Tate was driven to the point where she believes staying quiet is no longer a viable option, but it is also admirable she is taking a stand.
She is doing something that could help effect change in a positive way for the rest of the fighters on the UFC roster.
The hope is that the UFC will relent and treat her the way she wants to be treated. If they don't, and if she does follow through on her promise to retire, then we'll all have to hope that she did not take a stand in vain.
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