Is Miesha Tate the new Poster Girl for Women's MMA
Gina Carano was once the women's mixed martial arts it-girl. She was pretty, s**y, and possessed an exciting fighting style. She was the perfect prototype of a male MMA fan's ultimate crush and she hit opponents with the conviction to knock them out. Carano was a Muay Thai specialist and her technical proficiency in the sport made her even more appealing to all spectrums of fans. In other words, she was an invincible female fighter with the looks of a model.
The combination made for high ratings and unprecedented interest in women's MMA. But some good things do not last very long. Female MMA's poster girl's unbeaten streak was ended by an overwhelming but less marketable fighter, Cris "Cyborg" Santos in August 2009. Carano's aura of dominance was crushed before the very eyes of people that adored and idolized her. Fans appreciate skill and dominance but it wouldn't hurt having great looks to go with them especially in female fighting.
It was even worse than many people thought. Carano had decided to retire and pursue a career in acting and modelling. The chance of her coming back to fighting is bleak as even Carano's close friend, Randy Couture, had stated that he will be surprised to see Gina fighting again.
It is undeniable. The absence of Carano has left as big void in the world of female MMA. If there was Danica Patrick for racing and Maria Sharapova for tennis, the MMA world suddenly lost its favorite daughter. Interest in women's MMA has waned.
New Hope
Out of the metaphoric ashes, a new female fighter has emerged to potentially pick up what Carano left. Miesha "Takedown" Tate is a rising MMA star with great skills and looks to match. She had just won Strikeforce's women's tournament. As a result, she earned the number one contender status. She is now in line to take a crack at the welterweight title against the champion, Sarah Kaufman—the last fighter that defeated her. Unfortunately, Strikeforce had already announced Kaufman's next challenger and it is not Tate, meaning she'll have to await the result of the fight between Kaufman and her upcoming challenger, Marloes Coenen.
Since her last loss, Tate had shown a lot of improvement. Her grappling skills are at a high level and her already solid stand-up is getting sharper. She submitted four opponents with various submission moves including armbar, shoulder choke, and triangle choke. Aside from her skills of getting the fight to the ground which earned her the nickname "Takedown", Tate has also a knack of trapping limbs, making her an effective ground-and-pound artist. Her stand-up is not bad either. She has good defence and uses her jab well. She can also knock you out with a head kick, like she did against Sarah Ortiza.
Her looks did not go unnoticed. She appeared in Fight Magazine and showed a more feminine side of herself.
"I was definitely always a tomboy but I very much enjoy being a girl at the same time," Tate said in an interview for a documentary focusing on her career and personal life.
Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Tate was a standout high school wrestler who wrestled on the boy's wrestling team. She eventually won the women's state and national championships. Much to her mother's initial dislike, Miesha's talent and passion in wrestling was undeniable.
She was introduced to the world of mixed martial arts when she joined a club run by Bryan Caraway. Eventually, Caraway became Tate's trainer, teammate, and boyfriend. Her debut fight was only barely three years ago but her composure inside the cage is that of a veteran. She's also exciting to watch in her fights and always comes to give her all. If she continues to win especially against a champion, Tate has a chance to shine a light on a division that has suffered to gain any attention since its biggest star, Carano, moved on.
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