Miesha Tate Explains Why She Backs Amanda Nunes To Beat Ronda Rousey

Miesha Tate has questioned Ronda Rousey’s mental focus while backing Rousey’s opponent, reigning champion Amanda Nunes, to win their upcoming bantamweight title fight on December 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Miesha Tate Explains Why She Backs Amanda Nunes To Beat Ronda Rousey

Rousey, the 29-year-old former bantamweight champion, is returning to the octagon after a year-long hiatus following her brutal knockout loss to Holly Holm last November, when she surrendered the title.

Tate, 30, announced her retirement following her recent loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 and is well aware of Rousey’s strengths and weaknesses, as they previously faced each other on two occasions, both of which she lost via submission. Tate seems to believe Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) may not be the same fighter she was before given her loss to Holm.

The now-retired fighter has also thrown her weight behind “good girl” Nunes (13-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who defeated Tate earlier in the year to clinch the bantamweight title, claiming that she deserves the win. The Brazilian Nunes is confident she can beat Rousey, and said she has trained her entire career to fight the American.

“I guess what’s really difficult for me to decide is what we’re going to get out of Rousey,” Tate said, as quoted by Townsville Bulletin. “Is she doing it because she wants to or is she doing it before she feels obligated? Is that knockout going to be in the back of her mind? Is she going to be punch shy? It’s kind of like – I remember when I went skiing for the first time, I was like 5 years old and I just blitzed down the hill. I had no fear. The first time that I wrecked really, really hard is when I realized this is actually dangerous … so you kind of wonder what has that put in the back of her mind?”

Tate (18-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) continued: “I know that Amanda is a very solid fighter and she hits like a ton of bricks. She’s a very worthy opponent. It should be interesting… I want Amanda to win. She’s a sweetheart and a good girl. I think she deserves it,” she added.

Caption:LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 31: Miesha Tate waits for the start of of her bantamweight fight against Sara McMann during UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tate won the fight by majority decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)