[ad_1]
When Miesha Tate announced her retirement in 2016, she really had no intention of fighting again, which led her to explore opportunities outside of the cage.
High on her to-do list was starting a family, something an active career in the UFC never really allowed her. But she was also ambitious about her employment prospects beyond the fighting. Shortly after giving birth to her first child, she found a new goal, joining ONE Championship in an executive role while also serving as a brand ambassador and commentator for the Asia-based promotion.
Tate loved his time at ONE Championship. But eventually, after having her second child, the desire to compete won out. Leaving the sport after two straight losses didn’t bother her as much as feeling like she left with an unfinished business.
“I really don’t feel like this sport has escaped me,” Tate told MMA Fighting. “If you look at a lot of women who are at the top, like a lot of women when I was fighting, and a lot of them that I have fought against. Of course, that evolved over those four years, but I think the cool thing about taking that long hiatus was that I was really exhausted.
“To be honest, I was just in a bit of a dark place, the latter part of my career. A lot of things in my personal life caught up with me.
Back to fight with his next fight reserved for UFC Vegas 31, Tate wants to be sure to convey this comeback as a purely personal choice and not motivated by necessity. As a fighter, she recognizes that money matters when looking for opportunities in sport. But the financial compensation she will receive from the UFC has nothing to do with her return from retirement.
In fact, Tate said she was losing money returning to full-time combat because her previous job at ONE Championship made her very stable financially.
“When I do this comeback, I don’t do it because I don’t have any other options,” she said. “I don’t do it because I hurt for the money. I actually walk away from a six-figure job to fight.
“I have to win three fights to do more than I would with my job at ONE Championship. Win three fights. Again, it was never about money for me. It’s not the # 1 motivator.
As much as she enjoyed her time at ONE Championship, Tate admits that it wasn’t hard to leave the work behind.
“Hard to give it up? No, because I know it’s the right decision, but I feel a little bad because ONE Championship has been so good for me, ”said Tate. “They continue to support me 110 percent which is really amazing. It’s not very often that you find a friend in the business world who is successful but shares an understanding and passion for the sport. I think Chatri [Sityodtong] is a very special person and that’s why I really appreciate his support.
“My No. 1 goal was to compete again. I have to do it for myself. The decision was already made. I knew that if I was to leave ONE Championship to fight for the UFC, that was the decision that had to be made regardless of anything else. The decision was already made and it wasn’t that hard.
In an ironic twist, Tate’s first fight of his retirement will serve as his opponent Marion Reneau’s final fight. The 44-year-old veteran has previously announced that the fight against Tate will be her last as she plans to hang up her gloves for good after Saturday night.
Tate has the utmost respect for Reneau, and she also understands that she now faces a fighter who has next to nothing to lose as this is truly her last fight.
“People are going to expect that if I want to have a future and support my speech and my dreams of wanting to be champion again, I have to beat Marion Reneau,” Tate said. “But this is his fight for retirement, and when you have a fight for retirement, you have nothing left to save. That’s it. She’s going to put everything she’s got into this fight.
“She wants to come out on a win. She wants to go out with a bang, and I think I just have to be very careful about it and take her very, very seriously. I don’t take it lightly because it can ruin your night very, very quickly.
As much as Reneau leaves everything in the cage on Saturday night, Tate does almost the same as she returns to the UFC after almost five years away.
She’s hoping to make an immediate impact with a win over Reneau, then start a steady comeback through the bantamweight ranks in hopes of fighting for a UFC title again.
“I’m ready to make this comeback,” Tate said. “I’m ready to do this second push of my career. “
[ad_2]
Source link