MMA Fighting - Miesha Tate Reveals Why She's Returning from Retirement, Plans to Become UFC Champion Again

Episode Date: April 2, 2021

Miesha Tate reveals the reasons behind her retirement back in 2016 and why she's returning to fight again in 2021. Tate will also discuss her plans to make another run at the title while also advocating for her friend Julianna Pena to get the next shot at reigning champion Amanda Nunes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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19 and over, physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply. See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Damon Martin MMAFighting.com, and one of the biggest announcements over the past few days has been the return of former UFC women's band's weight champion, Misha Tate, and I am so happy to catch up with Misha today. Misha, thank you, as always, for taking the time. I know we've been doing these interviews for many years, but man, I've got to be honest, I'm super excited about this one because you're fighting again. Yeah, it's a little different pace on the last one, I think, but, yeah, I'm so excited to be back.

I mean, I don't know if people can tell through my, I don't know, just my elation. Like, I'm just happy. I'm in such a good place. And it's just different than it ever has been before in the sport. So I'm excited to see how that actually translates come July 17th. Absolutely. Give me an idea because we talked after you retired. We talked after you joined one championship.

You know, we talked after you became a mom. You know, you've been busy. You've had a lot of stuff going on in your life that had nothing to do with you actually stepping back in the cage. But when did you first start feeling that itch again? Like, when did you first start feeling like, hmm, maybe I want to fight again? Like, when did that happen? To be honest, it was probably right after I had my son in June.

I kind of was, I was kind of set back like everybody, you know, with the pandemic. There was just so much going on that was kind of like, it just made you reevaluate, right? What is important in life? Like, family is very important. Friends are important. A good support system is important in time. Time is valuable. And I just started to think about it.

I was like, you know what? I felt like, yeah, I want to do this again. I was watching, I had been watching fights for such a long time. And I was, you know, I had my family. I knew that was like he's the last baby I want. I don't want any more kids. And other than maybe adopting, but I don't want to birth any more children. And I just knew then.

I was like, you know what? I'm 34. I feel really good. And I want to get back to that place. of like the competitive nature, you know. It just really started to speak to me. I was like, I really want to do this again. I definitely don't feel like this sport has passed me by.

You know, we look at a lot of the women who are at the top or still like a lot of the women who, you know, when I was fighting, you know, a lot of them I've already fought against. But of course, it's evolved over the four years. But I think what's nice about the fact that I took that long break was I was really burnt out. And I was just kind of in a dark place to, to be honest, the latter part of my career, finally just a lot of the things in my personal life

just really caught up to me. And I just, there's only so much somebody can take, you know. And so I just, I needed to step away so that I could, um, regroup, I guess. I mean, don't get me wrong. When I retired, I really meant like that, that was it. But in hindsight, now that I'm back where I'm like, I want to be competitive again, like, I just see how important that was. Because I think I would have just continued to go on a losing streak had I pushed myself to come back. You know, I would have just, like, continued to not be there mentally, physically. And so now I'm in a place where everything is right in my life, like, probably for the first time in my life, things are all put together well, and I have a great support system. And I don't know. I feel like this is Misha 2.0.

Yeah, absolutely. Can we go back? I mean, I remember, you know, I was at your fight with Raquel Pennington when that night happened. And I remember, you know, when you were tired at the time, I was like, whoa. like did not see this coming. You know, you were still so young and obviously you'd accomplished a lot, but it was just like kind of a shocking moment. But you're very honest, you know, about, you know, why you're walking away and you mentioned, I think you said on the, on the scrum you did last week, you know, you dealt with some depression.

Can you kind of walk me through like that period of your life and then coming out on the other side of that? Because I think that's so important when we talk about mental health is like coming out on the other side of something like that because you did. You obviously did. Yes. I mean, mental health, it's no. joke to be in a place of depression. Depression is something that can consume every piece of you.

And sometimes you just feel like there's, you know, that there's no way out of it. But I mean, I think it's important, or at least it was for me at that point, to be brutally honest with myself and really address and take some time to soul search, you know, after that bite. You know, I went on a road trip. I just took time for myself to answer questions. You know, why was I selling that way? Where was my head? How could I make it better?

And that's really what I needed time to do. I needed time to self-reflect. I needed time to regroup. I needed time to make myself whole again and happy in life. And that was kind of a scary moment because I don't really know what else I was besides the fighter and that's also scary i see people hold on sometimes i think too long to their careers because it's all we know like it's all that's it like there's not there's not you know sometimes you feel like there's nothing else like who am i if i'm not misha tate the fighter well i answered

those questions you know i'm misha tate the mother i'm misha tate can be vice president of one championship i'm misha tate the commentator i'm misha tate uh you know interviewing people i'm misha tate creating content on YouTube. I'm Misha Tate, whatever, you know, whatever I put my mind to, and I think that kind of helped me, too, to realize, like, when I'm making this comeback, I'm not doing it because I have no other options. I'm not doing it because I'm hurting for money. As a matter of fact, I'm walking away from a six-figure job to fight. And I'm probably going to have to win three fight to make more than I would with my job at one championship win three fights. So again, this is not, it's never been about that.

It's never been about money for me. That's not the number one motivating factor. Of course, I'd be lying if I said, yeah, money's not, it's not great. Like, nobody doesn't like money, of course. Like that certainly sweetens the pot. And I have family now, too. So, of course, you know, I want to provide for my family. and I want to, you know, do all the great things, but those are not my driving factors.

You know, my driving factors is, again, boiling this down to basics. When I started doing this, this was not the cool thing to do. This was not, women's MMA was not cool. It was very frowned upon. We made little to no money, pennies on the dollar, fighting for breadcrumbs. But when you love something, you know, you can't put a price on that. And that's where I'm at. You know, I know that time is of the essence, and I feel like now is the right.

time for me to come back and show what I'm really capable of. I feel like there was so much I left on the table when I walked away. So much I left on the table, but I needed to do that. I needed to answer those questions and get out of that awful headspace that I was in. And I think I've done that. That's why I'm here and I'm ready to make that comeback and I'm ready to make a second surge at my career. Absolutely. And obviously you're still very young. I mean, I looked because I kind of forgot. I was like, man, it just, it doesn't seem real that it's been, you know, over four years since you fought. Like, that just seems so weird to me, but you're only 34. I mean, you're still very much in the prime of your athletic career. But obviously, every fighter

fights for different reasons. And, again, some people just fight for money, and that's great. Other people only want to become champion. That's great. But obviously, those reasons change over time, because I remember talking to you when Dana first said, we're going to bring in Ronda. And I remember you were the first call I made, and I remember you saying, I don't know what that means for me, like, there's no guarantee we're going to go to the UFC. Like, we were all still kind of in the dark because women's MMA had been so, you know, kind of, you know, kind of, you know, they just didn't show the interest that I had. And now, you know, years later, like your reasons for fighting change, obviously you want to be

a champion again, but it sounds like you found a different kind of motivation. I think that's kind of inspiring. Yeah, well, of course, we have all this people. I'm not the same person I was when I started fighting at 19 years old. I'm not the same person I was when I won my strike force or my UFC. title or when I fought Rhonda or when I fought Amanda I mean we're constantly evolving every day and so I mean I have many more motivations now but you know I think bringing it back to like again the core of my being is that I truly love competition and I'm truly a competitor at the end

of the day it's who I am I you know when you say fight or flight my instinct is always fight and that's just part of me and that will never not be part of me but at least now I don't feel the pressure like oh I have to do this I don't know anything else what happens when I don't you know have this script

there's none of that I've already answered all those questions I get to go into this second part of my career with a clear mind a clear conscience and just knowing like I'm just doing this because I because I genuinely love to do it and for me

that is such a relief. Like I just enjoy my time. It's not I have to. It's I get to. I get to go to the gym and train twice a day every day. I get to compete. I get to do all these amazing things. And I am blessed beyond belief.

So I'm so grateful. And I have an evolved mindset when it comes to everything, you know, with my career, with my family, with, you know, all my aspirations. I'm just in a different place and it feels really good. Yeah, absolutely. Before I get to the UFC, let me ask you. I know that, you know, this part of this ended up being

you had to give a 30-day notice to leave one championship officially. And I know we all saw the message I posted on Twitter, the message that Chachri, you know, released about you going, and he was so positive and supportive. And was that a tough part of this, you know, giving that part up? Because I know how much you did enjoy working with them and kind of become a part of that company.

in an executive role, which is, again, a different role for you. Was it tough to give that up? I mean, yeah, it was a little bit because, okay, let me rephrase. Tough to give it up? No, because I know it's the right decision. But part of me felt kind of like, you know, I feel like a little bad because I, because one championship was so good to me. And they're continuing to support me 110%, which is just truly amazing.

It's not very often that you find a friend. in the business world that's so successful, but that shares the understanding and the passion for the sport. And I think Chhatri is a very special individual, and so I really appreciate his support. And, of course, you know, I didn't know if I would be able to kind of continue to do both, you know, work with one in the UFC. But, you know, as things kind of continue to unfold,

my number one goal was to compete again. I need to do that for myself. And so the decision was already made. I already knew that if I had to quit with one championship in order to fight for the UFC, that was the decision that needed to be done, regardless of, you know, anything else. So I guess the decision was already made, and it wasn't so difficult. But, you know, the process, of course, calling trottery and being like, hey, you know, I think that's what I want to do. And he's just been amazing, you know, amazing.

So I'm grateful for that. And so I am still with them for like the little less than a month now. And yeah, they do have some great. events coming up too. I'm sure you've been following Damon. They have some pretty spectacular things coming up for one on TNT. It's the first time like one championship will be aired on a prime

at a prime time, you know, on a network here in the U.S. that's, yeah, cater to our timing as opposed to, you know, 4 a.m. for us on the Pacific Pacific, you know, West Coast or whatever. So it's going to be exciting events for them and I'm excited to

finish out this month and then, you know, it's going to be July 17th before you know it. Absolutely. Now, I know you're coming back, you know, there's a competitive drive in you that's, you know, driving you to come back. But I also know that competitive drive isn't what you're here for. You're also here to become a champion again. And I know that's been a big goal of you coming back is to become champion again.

So kind of give me your lay of the land when you look at the Bansomweigh Division. Amanda Nunes, obviously somebody you face is still on top. It's champion. Kudos her. She's been amazing. It's weird. a lot of the same people are still around. I mean, obviously, Holly Holme is still around.

I know Jermaine Durandami is there. Obviously, you're going to be fighting Marion Renaud, but there's a lot of familiar faces still around. A couple of new people, Aspen, Lad's a new one, you know, things like that. Obviously, Juliana Pena, someone you're very familiar with. So kind of give me your lay of the land when you look at, like, the landscape of your comeback and, like, what you see. Obviously, I'm not looking past Marion Reno in any way, shape, or form.

But, like, obviously, I know, I'm sure you've looked ahead of, like, the stepping stones you have to go through to get back to Amanda. Yeah, I mean, of course, I don't know exactly what that pass looks like. The only thing that I know is that it starts July 17th against Marion Renaud. You know, but if you're talking about just sitting back and what I've noticed over the past four years that's changed, is, you know, that there's a bit of a, a bit of a lull in the division just because Amanda has been such a dominant champion. You know, all the women in the division have been putting in a lot of work and they've been doing their part and they've been doing great. but, you know, this is not a women's MMA problem.

This is any time there's a really dominant champion who clears out most all of the contenders. You know, people start to question, you know, oh, well, what can we do? You know, what, who next? You know, obviously answers Julana Pena. I think she needs to be next, and I think she has a great stylistic challenge for Amanda.

But, you know, the division has continued to evolve, and I'm excited to get back in there and just mix it up with these ladies. You know, I think a lot of people are concerned. You know, oh, has the sport passed me by. But, you know, when you still see at the top of the sport, like you said, you know, Sheholy's at the top. Germain is, I think, number one ranked.

You know, Juliana, she's probably going to be fighting for the contender next. You know, her and I grew up side by side with each other. I mean, again, these women are, most of them are mature, you know, they've been doing this for a long time because it is a sport where you combine athletic ability and strategy. You know, it's a very strategic game. The longer you do it, you know. I would say the women's 135-pound division is a pretty mature division.

The women that are the same that came alongside me are still at the top for the most part. So I think, yeah, I just got to get, got to work really hard. I got to start with Mary Renault who, look, she is, you know, people are looking at her record and say, oh, she lost your last four, you know. I do not look at it that way. Not one aota of me looks at it and is like, oh, she lost it. No. Those last four losses were very close. And she has on the verge of being a contender a number of times.

She hurt Sarah McMahon with her right hand and then submitted her with a triangle choke. You know, she's got a black belt in Brazilian jiu jihitsu. And, you know, she can spoil your night in a heartbeat. She hits, she's good at everything. She hits hard. she can wrestle and she's got a really solid ground game and I think pressure's on because you know people are going to expect um I think you know people are going to expect like if I want to have a future and and you know back up every the talk of my dreams of wanting to become a champion again

obviously I have to beat Marianne Rennel but this is her retirement fight and I think when you have a retirement fight you have nothing left to save for you this is it she's going to put every things she has into this fight. She wants to go out on a wind. She wants to go out on a bang. You know, and I think I've just got to be very mindful of that. And so I'm taking her very, very

seriously. I'm not, you know, I'm not taking her lightly whatsoever because I know she can spoil a night. She can ruin your night really fast. Yeah, absolutely. I won't be doing that. Yeah. She wants to, she wants to retire saying, I retired, will win off Misha Tate. So you've got to take that

seriously. Oh, yeah. No, absolutely. Now, before I let you go, I got to ask this question because, you know, again, listen, we can't ignore the obvious, which is, you know, the getting to the title, and I imagine the rematch of the Amanda. Now, I know Giuliana is someone you've been very close with for a lot of years, and I'm sure, you know, you're going to be quietly kind of rooting for her, you know, if she gets that title fight. But is there any part of you that feels like it would be the storybook ending, so to speak,

to come back, earn your way to a title shot, and rematch Amanda? Like, am I crazy thinking that would probably mean more, right? Oh, I mean, that's what I want for myself. But you know what? I think it's crossed that bridge when we get there. I genuinely want Juliana to get this fight, and I want her to win. And I will be nothing but happy for her if she's able to do that. There's no part of me that wishes her not to do it so I can have this fair tale story book ending.

You know, what will be will be. be and you know there's no matter of me it doesn't matter you know like i will get there eventually um to the championship you know and i i i think that if juliana wins right they're probably going to do an immediate rematch uh which is great you know she she um has a great style i think again i can't say that enough uh i think it's a corn fed folk up in washington state you know we just got some some kind of tough about us you know so i'm excited for her and i want her to do it but, you know, if she doesn't do it, I believe I will. And it's a tall order.

Look, I know. I'm not under, a lot of people think, oh, you know, she's delusional. She's this, I know, I know, I know you guys all think I'm crazy. But everybody thought I was crazy before, you know. And I was the underdog going in against Holly. And look, I mean, you got to dream big. Like, if you don't dream big, then I think you're cheating yourself. So, you know, people thought Francis was probably crazy, too.

the first time you got defeated by SEPA and, you know, he figured it out and he's a better, you know, better version of himself. And if there's anybody I'd like to model myself after, it would be that man, you know, just kind of that storyline of the evolution and figuring it out. So, again, I can't get ahead of myself, but I do have long-term goals. My long-term goals to be a world champion again. And, you know, short-term goal, don't underestimate Mary and Renaud. She's tough as shit.

and she's going to know she's going to bring it July 17th. Yeah, I know you're excited. I was texting with Eric Nixick from Extreme Citoriala today. I said I was interviewing you and I was like, you work with me. She's like, yeah, we've worked together a little bit because he's like, man, her energy, she's back in the gym. We're all so excited for her. And I was like, I can tell in his message and in your voice, you are so ready to come back.

And I got to be honest with you, Misha, the sport is a better place with you in it in whatever role you're around in. Last thing, and I know, listen, this is a tough question. question because you're focused on fighting right now. Now that you're back in the UFC, what are we thinking? Like fighter commentator, maybe doing a little Paul Felder, Dominic Cruz. Can we see you behind them? Can we see you in the booth now? Oh, I'd love to.

I think the more that you watch this sport and dissect it and study it, there's so much to be learned from just sitting and being an observer, which is, you know, I've been training. Don't get me wrong. But I've also been observing the sport in a way that I never did when I was an active athlete. It was just different, right? I have a more mature mindset. And I would love to be a part of that team and broadcast or whatever, you know, position that the UFC might deem that that I, that I would do a good job sitting at the desk. It would be great. I would love to do that. Yeah, I think you calling Pena versus Nunes. I think that'd be a great introduction. What do you

think by putting you on the, I think that I'm scouting your job report here for you, Misha, is what I'm doing. I'm trying to set it up. I love it. I love it. Let's see. Put it, let's put it out into the universe and, and let it, let it come full circle, because I think that would be a great, that would be an honor, it'd be a great opportunity. I'm not going to lie, I'm going to be very excited and nervous for that fight, so it might come across that way. You'll definitely probably hear, but, yeah, I like your energy. I like where your head is at, Damon.

I like it. I like it. Well, Misha, as I said, I do sincerely mean this. The sport is a better place with you around. I'm glad you're back. I cannot wait to you back in action. Obviously, good training, safe training. and July 7th, you said it's going to be here before we know it.

It's going to be crazy because it's going to be here before we know it. So thank you, as always, for the time. I'm glad you're back. And thank you for taking the time to do this. I really do appreciate it. Absolutely. Anytime, Damon. Take care.

All right. Talk to you soon. You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network.