Interview with Miesha "Takedown" Tate!!

Miesha "Takedown" Tate is a 24 year old, professional female mixed martial artist, fighting out of Urijiah Faber's Alpha Male gym. She is currently signed to Strikeforce, fighting in the welterweight (135lb) division. In her 3 year career,  she has amassed an impressive record of 11-2, with 7 finishes. Tate is ranked #12 currently in pound for pound discussions by MMARising.com, and as the #5-ranked 135-pound female fighter according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings. In August, she was the last woman standing in the Strikeforce Women's Welterweight tournament; a tournament which included names like Carina Damm, Maiju Kujala, and Hitomi Akano (the latter two being defeated by Tate.) In winning the tournament, Tate has secured a title shot, for herself against the winner of Sarah Kaufman/Marloes Coenen. CampizonE MMA asks Miesha Tate what's next.





CampizoneMMA:   Hey Miesha, just wanted to say thanks for taking time out of your
busy scheduele to do this interview with me..I appreciate it. You were supposed to be fighting Sarah Kaufman in a rematch for the title after you won the Welterweight women's tournament. Now Marloes Coenen has replaced you with no explanation given by Strikeforce. Must be a little frustrating for you, how are you feeling about this whole situation?

Miesha Tate:    I think I should be next in line for a title shot, but I was aware

of the plan for Kaufman/Coenen to fight before I'd get my shot. It doesn't

make sense to me though that Marloes would get a shot at the title

in a weight class she has never fought at!

CMMA:   Has Strikeforce contacted you - or given reason for their decision?

MT:   No, I was aware of that going into the tournament but not particularly

happy about it.

CMMA:   Do you expect to fight the winner of Kaufman/Conen?

MT:   Yes, that's what Ive been promised so if for any reason it doesn't

happen, I will be very upset.

CMMA:   Your nickname is "Takedown" and alot of your style is wrestling
based. What do you think about girls wrestling in high school and
did you face any adversity from your peers while wrestling on the
boys team in high school?

MT:   I think more women should wrestle, we are actually pretty good at it

when given the opportunity! My peers thought it was strange but that

was about it and I didn't care!!

CMMA:   Who is your favorite fighter to watch, male or female?

MT:   I really enjoy Megumi Fujii or Jose Aldo. Megumi is the first to start

her career with an impressive 23-0 as a professional; male or female.

CMMA:   Is there any fighter you try to emulate in your style?


MT:   Yes lots, Urijiah Faber, Gilbert Melendez, Cris Cyborg, and Shayna Baszler

are a few.

CMMA:   Obviously, you are an extremely talented fighter, and you're not so bad on the eyes either. Sometimes, do you feel like you're getting attention for the wrong reasons? Do you think the casual fan appreciates you as a fighter, or as a pretty girl?

MT:   Yes, sometimes I think the reason I am noticed, especially when i was

coming up, is because I am very feminine in that I wear dresses/heels, I

do my makeup & hair, and to the casual fan I think unfortunately womens

MMA is still seen as somewhat of a spectacle but I hope to change that.

And for whatever reason that gets me noticed, I hope the last thought

will be about how great of a fighter I and women are in general!

CMMA:   Do you think we'll ever see women's MMA in the WEC or UFC?

MT:   Yes, I think for sure someday in the WEC we will, it's all about

making money in the end and there is a market for it, but Dana is just

waiting for more depth in the women's divisions.

Miesha Tate, finishing with the armbar.

 CMMA:   Women's MMA is in it's infancy. Do you sometimes feel added pressure
to perform well because many people are watching for the first time?

MT:   Well no, I don't feel added pressure for that reason although I'm well

aware of it! It definitely excites me but I'm usually too focused on the

fight to worry about that but I always hope to set a new precedence for

women's MMA.

CMMA:   What did you think of Megumi Fujii's destruction of Lisa Ward at
Bellator 31? Did it surprise you?

MT:   No it didn't, I think Lisa wasn't mentally in that fight to win it and

I also know she didn't have a proper training camp like Fujii was able

to have.

CMMA:   What would the gameplan be in a fight against Fujii?

MT:   For me, I would come forward and take her down, put her on her back

and avoid engaging her guard and aim to beat her up there, why wait

for her to put me there?

CMMA:   The first fight between you and Sarah Kaufman was a very competitve
fight. You won the second round and she seemed to edge you in the
1st and 3rd. How do you see a rematch going at 135?

MT:   In my favor!! lol. I'm very excited for the 5x5 min rounds because I

think I can be a slow starter, and not only that but I am VERY

confident about that fight because I know my capabilities and obviously

she doesn't because she's already counting me out (read her blogs) and

I am coming there to win that belt whether it be Kaufman or Coenen but

I definitely have an added burn to wanna beat Sarah!

CMMA: How do you feel you match up with Coenen? What did you think about her performance against Cyborg?

MT:   I admire Coenen, she's really an impressive fighter with a lot of

experience and is very tough to go three rounds with Cyborg, however I

feel she is an easier match up for me style wise than Kaufman!

CMMA:   One of the biggest discussions in the MMA community today is the
issue of PED's. On the heels of Chael Sonnen's positive test, what
insight can you give us on this growing problem?

MT:   Well I really think it's unfortunate that athletes in any sport feel

they have to do that (steroids) to be competitive/win. I wish we were all natural

and leave it at that because when half the athletes start using PED's

it's really unfair to those who don't, especially in the women's

division because I think there is a bigger gap and it then becomes

like a man fighting a woman and all that will do is encourage more

fighters to do it in order stay competitive. I'd really hate to see

the women's division turn into a freakshow!

CMMA: Thanks Miesha, I really appreciate the time.

MT:   Thanks again!

Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Tournament Champion