"We Didn’t Like Each Other": Miesha Tate Drops Surprising Truth About Her Bitter Ronda Rousey Feud

Miesha Mate opens up about her Ronda Rousey rivalry.© NDTV Photo Library

Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has offered a notably warmer reflection on her long-running rivalry with Ronda Rousey. She admitted that the animosity that once defined their relationship ultimately shaped her into a better fighter. Tate lost to Rousey twice by submission. The American said that the rivalry pushed her beyond her limits and helped lay the groundwork for women's MMA's growth in the UFC. Cupcake shared her thoughts in an Instagram post on Sunday, more than a decade after their second meeting at UFC 168 in December 2013. The post came as part of a video reel in which Tate addressed the questions she still receives about her former nemesis.

Tate admits Rousey pushed her like no other fighter

The two women fought first in Strikeforce in March 2012, when Rousey took Tate's bantamweight title with a first-round armbar. They met again at UFC 168, with Rousey retaining her UFC belt via another armbar, this time in the third round.

She captioned the video on Instagram, "I'm a former UFC champion, and here's what I think about Ronda.” Tate acknowledged that the rivalry was genuine and intense. 

“We didn't like each other. That was real,” she wrote, before adding that Rousey pushed her harder than anyone else in her career.

Tate said the two losses forced her to become a more complete fighter and suggested she may not have won the UFC title without going through that experience.

She also credited Rousey with helping put women's MMA on the map, arguing that every woman fighting in the UFC today owes something to that era.

This is not the first time Tate has spoken about the rivalry in recent months. She described Rousey as her “arch nemesis” and acknowledged the mental, emotional, and physical toll the rivalry took on her.

How Tate and Rousey became bitter rivals

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey's feud began in Strikeforce and carried into the UFC. Both fighters became central figures in the promotion's push to establish women's divisions.

Their second fight at UFC 168 was one of the most anticipated women's bouts of that period, with Rousey's dominance contrasting sharply with Tate's resilience.

Rousey went on to lose her UFC title to Holly Holm in 2015, a defeat that opened the door for Tate to claim the belt at UFC 196 in March 2016. Tate's reign was brief, as she lost the title to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 later that year.

The rivalry never produced a third fight, despite Tate expressing interest in a trilogy bout in 2016. Considering Rousey's retirement from MMA and Tate's retirement from being an active fighter, their third match is unlikely to happen.