Miesha Tate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miesha Tate
Miesha Tate in 2018
Born	Miesha Theresa Tate (1986-08-18) August 18, 1986 (age 38) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Other names	Cupcake
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight	136 lb (62 kg; 9.7 st)
Division	Featherweight (2008) Bantamweight (2007–2016; 2021–present) Flyweight (2022)
Reach	65 in (165 cm)
Style	Submission wrestling
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Team	Xtreme Couture
Rank	Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active	2007–2016, 2021–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	29
Wins	20
By knockout	4
By submission	8
By decision	8
Losses	9
By knockout	2
By submission	3
By decision	4
Medal record Representing  United States Women's Grappling FILA Grappling World Championships Silver 2008 Lucerne 72 kg (No-Gi)

Miesha Theresa Tate (born August 18, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. She is known for competing in the women's Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Tate also used to compete for Strikeforce, where she was a former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She also worked as a vice president for ONE Championship. As of January 2025, she is ranked among the top fighters in the UFC women's bantamweight division.

Early Life and Sports Beginnings

Miesha Tate was born in Tacoma, Washington. She grew up as a tomboy and often played with boys in her neighborhood. When she attended Franklin Pierce High School, Tate wanted to join a sport. She chose amateur wrestling over basketball.

She wrestled on the boys' team from her first year until she graduated. Tate said that she "got her butt kicked pretty hard" at first. But she learned quickly. In her senior year in 2005, she won the girls' state championship.

While at Central Washington University, a friend asked her to join a mixed martial arts (MMA) club. Tate found that many wrestlers were there, so she felt right at home.

First Amateur Fights

At first, Tate was not sure about competing in MMA. She said she "didn't want to get punched." But after seeing her friends compete, she decided to try. Her first amateur fight was in March 2006. She fought Elizabeth Posener, a Muay Thai expert.

In the fight, Tate wrestled Posener to the ground. But she forgot to hit her, so her coaches reminded her. In the second round, Posener hurt Tate with a knee. Tate realized this was a real fight, not just wrestling. She fought back and won five of her six amateur MMA fights before becoming a professional.

Miesha Tate's Professional MMA Career

Tate started her professional mixed martial arts career in November 2007. She won her first fight against Jan Finney. But she was later knocked out by Kaitlin Young in the same tournament. In 2008 and 2009, Tate fought in smaller organizations. She won against Jamie Lyn Welsh, Jessica Bednark, and Dora Baptiste.

Winning Her First MMA Title

Miesha Tate won her first major title, the 135-pound FCF Women's Bantamweight Championship, on April 4, 2009. She defeated Liz Carreiro at Freestyle Cage Fighting 30. Tate was knocked down in the first round. But she took control in the second and won by submission in the third. She defended this title once in January 2010. She defeated Valerie Coolbaugh with an armbar submission.

Fighting in Strikeforce

On June 27, 2008, Tate joined Strikeforce. This was a big MMA company that showed fights on TV. Tate fought in the 135-pound bantamweight division. She won her first Strikeforce fight against Elaina Maxwell.

In May 2009, Tate fought Sarah Kaufman. Tate lost this fight by decision. This was the first time Kaufman's fight went to a decision. After defending her FCF title, Tate returned to Strikeforce in March 2010. She won against Zoila Gurgel with an armbar.

Becoming Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion

In August 2010, Tate entered a special Strikeforce tournament. She won both her fights that night. She defeated Maiju Kujala and then Hitomi Akano. This made her the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Tournament Champion.

Tate was set to challenge Marloes Coenen for the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship in March 2011. But she got a knee injury and the fight was moved to July 2011. Coenen was known for her jiu-jitsu and had never been submitted in MMA. But in the fourth round, Tate defeated Coenen by submission. She used an arm-triangle choke to become the new champion.

After winning, Tate said she couldn't believe she had the belt. She felt proud of her hard work and becoming a world champion.

Last Fights in Strikeforce

Tate's first title defense was supposed to be against Sarah Kaufman. But a new fighter, Ronda Rousey, wanted to fight Tate for the title. Rousey believed a fight between them would get a lot of attention. Strikeforce agreed, and Rousey became Tate's first challenger.

Their fight was very popular. Rousey had won all her fights by armbar submission. Tate didn't think Rousey had earned the title shot. The two fighters talked a lot before the fight. Tate and Rousey were the main event of a Strikeforce show on March 3, 2012. This was rare for women's MMA at the time. Tate lost the title when Rousey used an armbar in the first round.

Tate was praised for not giving up easily, even when her arm was in danger. Rousey said Tate was a "tough chick" because she resisted the armbar for so long.

Tate then fought Julie Kedzie in August 2012. Tate was knocked down twice but managed to win. She used an armbar submission in the third round.

Joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

After Strikeforce closed, Tate joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in February 2013. The UFC president, Dana White, said that Tate's fight with Ronda Rousey helped bring women's MMA to the UFC. Tate was set to fight Cat Zingano in April 2013.

Tate said her main goal was to become a champion. She wanted to have that accomplishment to look back on when she was older. The winner of Tate vs. Zingano would get a chance to fight Rousey for the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship. The winner would also coach against Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter, a UFC reality show.

Tate won the first two rounds against Zingano. But she lost in the final round by TKO. Tate felt the fight was stopped too early. Both fighters earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus for their exciting match. Later, Zingano got a knee injury and Tate took her place as Rousey's opponent and opposing coach on The Ultimate Fighter.

First UFC Title Shot

Before their rematch, Rousey showed respect for Tate's fighting skills. Tate also said she valued Rousey's impact on women's MMA. The rematch happened at UFC 168 on December 28, 2013. Rousey largely controlled the fight. But Tate managed to last longer than the first round. She even made the crowd cheer for her in the second round. After escaping two submission attempts, Tate lost to an armbar in the third round.

First UFC Wins

Tate faced Liz Carmouche in April 2014. She won the fight by unanimous decision. This was her first win in the UFC. Tate then fought Rin Nakai in September 2014 and won by unanimous decision. This made her record 2-2 in the UFC.

In January 2015, Tate fought Sara McMann. McMann was an Olympic medalist in wrestling. But Tate surprised many by out-wrestling McMann in the third round. Tate won the fight by majority decision. After this win, many news outlets said Tate was the best fighter in her weight class, besides the champion.

In July 2015, Tate fought Jessica Eye. Tate won this important fight by unanimous decision.

Becoming UFC Champion

On November 14, 2015, Holly Holm defeated Rousey to become the UFC Bantamweight Champion. In January 2016, the UFC announced that Tate would be Holm's first challenger. Their fight was at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016. The fight was close for four rounds. But in the fifth round, Tate defeated Holm with a rear-naked choke. This made Miesha Tate the new UFC Bantamweight Champion. She also earned a "Performance of the Night" bonus for her win.

After Tate's victory, UFC president Dana White said Tate's first title defense would be against Ronda Rousey. But later, it was changed. Tate fought Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016. Nunes won the fight quickly in the first round with strikes and a rear-naked choke. Tate lost her championship.

Retirement from MMA

Tate fought Raquel Pennington in November 2016. Before this fight, Tate said she planned to take a break from MMA. After losing to Pennington by decision, Tate announced her retirement from mixed martial arts. She said she loved the sport but it was "not her time anymore."

Working with ONE Championship

On November 7, 2018, it was announced that Tate joined ONE Championship as a Vice President. She left this job in 2021 to return to fighting.

Returning to the UFC

On March 24, 2021, Tate announced she would return to MMA. She fought Marion Reneau in July 2021 and won by TKO in the third round. This win earned her another "Performance of the Night" award.

Tate was set to fight Ketlen Vieira in October 2021. But Tate tested positive for COVID-19, so the fight was moved to November 2021. She lost this fight by unanimous decision.

Trying a New Weight Class

Tate decided to try fighting in a lighter weight class, called flyweight. She was scheduled to fight Lauren Murphy in May 2022. The fight was moved several times. It finally happened in July 2022. Tate lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Back to Bantamweight

Tate was supposed to fight Mayra Bueno Silva in June 2023. But Tate got an injury. She later faced Julia Avila in December 2023. Tate won the fight with a rear-naked choke submission in the third round. This earned her another "Performance of the Night" award.

Miesha Tate's Fighting Style

Miesha Tate is known for her strong grappling skills. This includes wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and defending against submissions. Her wrestling-heavy style earned her the nickname "Takedown." In July 2011, she became the first woman to submit Marloes Coenen in an MMA fight. During her win at UFC 183, Tate even out-wrestled Olympic medalist Sara McMann. She is also known for being the first fighter to escape Ronda Rousey's armbar more than once. Rousey said Tate was "much more savvy on the ground" than she expected.

Early in her career, Tate often used double-leg takedowns. She would pick up her opponent and press them against the cage. Once on the ground, she liked to control from the side. If she was behind her opponent, she would use a body triangle and hit them. Tate's wrestling background gave her great power on the ground. This often let her hold opponents in weak positions.

Tate has trained a lot in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. From her back, she often tried armbars or triangle chokes. She used many types of submissions, like heel hooks, guillotines, and kimura locks.

Many sports news outlets called her ground game "powerful" and "dominant." They noted that Tate's opponents often struggled when she took them to the ground. For example, Julie Kedzie tried to avoid fighting Tate on the ground.

When standing, Tate used left jabs, left hooks, right crosses, overhand rights, and knees from a clinch (holding her opponent close).

Other Appearances and Sponsors

Tate appeared in the MMA documentary Fight Life, released in 2013. She is also a playable character in the video game EA Sports UFC. In 2015, Tate was part of the movie Fight Valley, about women in an underground fight club.

In 2014, Tate became the second MMA fighter to join NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick's management company. After this, she got sponsorship deals with NASCAR and Budweiser.

Since September 2021, Tate has co-hosted a show called Throwing Down With Renee and Miesha on Sirius XM.

In 2022, Tate won the third season of Celebrity Big Brother. She won four "Head of Household" competitions on the show.

Personal Life

Miesha Tate is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks football team. She met her ex-boyfriend Bryan Caraway at Central Washington University. In 2014, Tate helped save the life of Caraway's mother, Chris Caraway. Chris had an asthma attack while scuba diving and stopped breathing. Tate helped her.

On September 5, 2016, Tate helped carry a six-year-old girl with a broken arm while hiking in Nevada.

On January 1, 2018, Tate announced she was in a relationship with fellow MMA fighter Johnny Nuñez. They had a daughter, Amaia Nevaeh Nuñez, on June 4, 2018. On December 25, 2019, Tate announced she was expecting their second child. Their son, Daxton Wylder Nuñez, was born on June 14, 2020.

Championships and Accomplishments

Mixed Martial Arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship (One time)
  • Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Cat Zingano, Ronda Rousey
  • Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Holly Holm, Marion Reneau and Julia Avila
    • Second most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (5)
  • Most submission attempts in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (12)
  • Tied (Raquel Pennington & Ailín Pérez) for third longest win streak in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (5)
  • Fourth most control time in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (56:45)
  • Third most top position time in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (44:19)
  • Tied (Julianna Peña) for fourth most takedowns landed in UFC Women's Bantamweight division history (18)
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2013: Ranked #9 Fight of the Year vs. Ronda Rousey 2
    • 2016: Ranked #2 Submission of the Year & Ranked #3 Upset of the Year vs. Holly Holm
• Strikeforce
  • Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship
  • Strikeforce 2010 Women's Bantamweight Tournament Winner
• Freestyle Cage Fighting
  • FCF Women's Bantamweight Championship
• World MMA Awards
  • 2011 Female Fighter of the Year
  • 2016 Comeback of the Year vs. Holly Holm at UFC 196
• BloodyElbow.com
  • 2013 WMMA Fight of the Year vs. Ronda Rousey on December 28
• MMADNA.nl
  • 2016 Comeback of the Year vs. Holly Holm

Submission Grappling

• 2009 World Team Trials Silver Medalist
• 2008 FILA Grappling World Championships Senior Women' No-Gi Silver Medalist
• 2008 World Team Trials National Grappling Champion

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Pay-per-view Bouts

See Also

In Spanish: Miesha Tate para niños

• List of female mixed martial artists