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Miesha Tate

Tate in 2018

Born

Miesha Theresa Tate
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

Wins

By knockout

By submission

By decision

Losses

By knockout

By submission

By decision

Medal record

Women's Grappling

Representing United States
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 her exciting fights. Miesha competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was a UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Before that, she was also a champion in Strikeforce. She was also a vice president for ONE Championship. As of May 6, 2025, she is ranked #13 in the UFC women's bantamweight division.

Early Life and Sports

Miesha Tate was born in Tacoma, Washington. She grew up with her mother and stepfather. As a child, Miesha was a tomboy. She often played with boys in her neighborhood.

High School Wrestling

When she attended Franklin Pierce High School, Miesha wanted to play a sport. She chose amateur wrestling over basketball. She wrestled on the boys' team. She did this from her first year until she graduated. Miesha said she struggled at first. But by her senior year in 2005, she won the girls' state championship.

Starting Mixed Martial Arts

Miesha went to Central Washington University. A friend asked her to join an MMA club. Miesha found many wrestlers there. She felt like she fit right in.

First Amateur Fights

Miesha was not sure about fighting in MMA at first. She did not want to get punched. But after seeing her friends compete, she tried her first amateur fight in March 2006. She fought Elizabeth Posener, a Muay Thai fighter. Miesha used her wrestling skills. She took Posener to the ground. Her trainers reminded her to strike. In the second round, Posener hurt Miesha with a knee. Miesha realized it was a real fight. She fought harder after being hurt. Miesha had a record of 5 wins and 1 loss as an amateur. Then she became a professional fighter.

Professional MMA Career

Miesha Tate started her professional MMA career in November 2007. She won her first fight. But she was knocked out in her second fight that same night. In 2008 and 2009, Miesha fought in smaller organizations. She won several fights during this time.

Winning Her First MMA Title

Miesha won her first championship on April 4, 2009. She defeated Liz Carreiro to become the FCF Women's Bantamweight Champion. She defended this title once in January 2010. She won by armbar submission.

Fighting in Strikeforce

Miesha joined Strikeforce in June 2008. This was a big MMA company. She won her first fight there. In May 2009, she fought Sarah Kaufman. Miesha lost this fight by decision.

After defending her FCF title, Miesha returned to Strikeforce. She faced Zoila Gurgel in March 2010. Miesha won this fight with an armbar submission.

Becoming Strikeforce Champion

Miesha took part in a Strikeforce tournament in August 2010. She won two fights in one night. This made her the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Tournament Champion.

She then got a chance to fight for the main Strikeforce title. She was set to challenge Marloes Coenen in July 2011. Miesha said she wanted to finish the fight strongly. Coenen was known for her jiu-jitsu skills. She had never been submitted in a fight. But in the fourth round, Miesha defeated Coenen. She won by submission (arm-triangle choke). This made Miesha the new Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion.

Miesha was very happy after winning. She said she could not believe she had the belt. She felt proud of her accomplishment.

Last Strikeforce Fights

Miesha's first title defense was against Ronda Rousey. Rousey was a new fighter in Strikeforce. She had won all her fights by armbar submission. Rousey wanted to fight Miesha for the title. She believed their fight would get a lot of attention.

Their fight was very popular. It was one of the first times women headlined a major MMA event. The fight happened on March 3, 2012. Miesha tried to escape Rousey's armbar attempts. But Rousey eventually won by armbar submission in the first round. Miesha lost her title.

Miesha was praised for not giving up. She resisted the armbar for a long time. Rousey said Miesha was a tough fighter.

Miesha then fought Julie Kedzie in August 2012. Miesha won this fight with an armbar in the third round.

Joining the UFC

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

Miesha said her main goal was to become a champion. She wanted to have that accomplishment for her future family. The winner of Tate vs. Zingano would get a title shot against Rousey. They would also coach against Rousey on a UFC reality show called The Ultimate Fighter.

Miesha lost to Zingano by TKO in the third round. Miesha felt the fight was stopped too early. Both fighters earned a "Fight of the Night" bonus. Later, Zingano got injured. So Miesha took her place to coach against Rousey. She also got the title shot.

First UFC Title Shot

Miesha and Rousey had their rematch at UFC 168 on December 28, 2013. Miesha showed respect for Rousey's skills. She also valued Rousey's role in women's MMA. The fight was mostly controlled by Rousey. But Miesha lasted longer than anyone expected. She made it to the third round. Miesha lost by armbar submission in the third round.

First UFC Wins

Miesha earned her first UFC win on April 19, 2014. She defeated Liz Carmouche by decision. Then she beat Rin Nakai in September 2014. This made her record 2 wins and 2 losses in the UFC.

In January 2015, Miesha fought Sara McMann. McMann was an Olympic medalist in wrestling. But Miesha surprised everyone by out-wrestling her. Miesha won by decision. After this win, many thought Miesha was the best fighter in her division, besides the champion.

Miesha then fought Jessica Eye in July 2015. She won this fight by decision.

Becoming UFC Champion

On November 14, 2015, Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey to become the UFC Bantamweight Champion. In January 2016, it was announced that Miesha would be Holm's first challenger. The fight happened at UFC 196 on March 5, 2016.

The fight was very close for four rounds. Both fighters had good moments. But in the fifth round, Miesha defeated Holm. She won by a rear-naked choke submission. This made Miesha the new UFC Bantamweight Champion! She also won a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

After her win, Miesha was set to defend her title against Ronda Rousey. But then it was changed. She fought Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016. Nunes won the fight in the first round. She defeated Miesha with strikes and a rear-naked choke. Miesha lost her championship.

Retirement and Return

Miesha fought Raquel Pennington in November 2016. Before this fight, Miesha said she would take a break from MMA. After losing to Pennington, Miesha announced her retirement from the sport. She said she loved the sport but it was time to stop.

In November 2018, Miesha joined ONE Championship as a Vice President. She left this job in 2021 to return to fighting.

UFC Return

On March 24, 2021, Miesha announced her return to the UFC. She fought Marion Reneau on July 17, 2021. Miesha won the fight by TKO in the third round. This earned her another "Performance of the Night" award.

Miesha was scheduled to fight Ketlen Vieira in October 2021. But the fight was delayed because Miesha tested positive for COVID-19. The fight happened on November 20, 2021. Miesha lost by decision.

Moving to Flyweight

Miesha decided to move to a lighter weight class. She was set to fight Lauren Murphy in a flyweight bout. The fight happened on July 16, 2022. Miesha lost this fight by decision.

Back to Bantamweight

Miesha was scheduled to fight Mayra Bueno Silva in June 2023. But Miesha got injured.

Miesha then fought Julia Avila on December 2, 2023. She won the fight by submission in the third round. This earned her another "Performance of the Night" award.

Miesha faced Yana Santos on May 3, 2025. She lost this fight by decision.

Fighting Style

Miesha Tate is known for her strong grappling skills. This includes wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Her wrestling skills earned her the nickname "Takedown." In 2011, she was the first woman to submit Marloes Coenen in an MMA fight. She also out-wrestled Olympic medalist Sara McMann in a UFC fight. Miesha was also the first fighter to escape Ronda Rousey's armbar multiple times.

Early in her career, Miesha was known for her double-leg takedowns. She would often press opponents against the cage. Once on the ground, she would control them. She was very powerful on the ground. This allowed her to keep opponents in tough spots.

Miesha has trained a lot in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She uses many different submissions. These include armbars, triangle chokes, and guillotine chokes. Her ground game was often called "powerful" and "dominant." Opponents often tried to avoid fighting her on the ground.

Other Appearances

Movies and TV

Miesha appeared in a documentary about mixed martial arts called Fight Life. She was also in a movie called Fight Valley.

In 2022, Miesha was the winner of the third season of Celebrity Big Brother. This is a reality TV show.

Magazines and Games

Miesha has appeared in magazines. She was on the cover of Fitness Gurls magazine in 2013. She is also a playable character in the video game EA Sports UFC.

Podcasts

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

Personal Life

Miesha Tate is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks football team. She attended Central Washington University.

In 2014, Miesha was credited with saving a life. She helped her ex-boyfriend's mother. The mother had an asthma attack while scuba diving. Miesha helped her breathe again.

On September 5, 2016, Miesha helped a six-year-old girl. The girl had a broken arm while hiking. Miesha carried her to safety.

Miesha is in a relationship with fellow MMA fighter Johnny Nuñez. They have a daughter, Amaia Nevaeh Nuñez, born in June 2018. They also have a son, Daxton Wylder Nuñez, born in June 2020.

Achievements and Awards

Miesha Tate has achieved a lot in her career:

Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion (one time)
- Won "Fight of the Night" two times
- Won "Performance of the Night" three times
Strikeforce
- Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion
- Won the Strikeforce 2010 Women's Bantamweight Tournament
Freestyle Cage Fighting
- FCF Women's Bantamweight Champion
World MMA Awards
- Named Female Fighter of the Year in 2011
- Won "Comeback of the Year" in 2016 for her fight against Holly Holm

Grappling Achievements

Miesha also has awards in grappling:

Silver Medalist at the 2009 World Team Trials
Silver Medalist at the 2008 FILA Grappling World Championships

Images for kids

Miesha Tate in 2018