UFC Women's Contender Miesha Tate Returns To Action In Japan
By Richard Hunter
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) -- If it weren't for Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate might be the most well known female fighter in the UFC.
Having twice fought and lost to the current women's bantamweight champ Rousey, Tate still sits at #2 in the division's rankings. Her popularity dramatically increased when she coached opposite Rousey on the 18th season of "The Ultimate Fighter", and signing on with NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick's sports management company has brought her lucrative product endorsement deals from high profile sponsors like Budweiser.
Saturday, she returns to The Octagon in a fight that will air live from Japan exclusively on UFC's Fight Pass online network (2:00 am CT).
Listen to Richard Hunter talk with Miesha Tate about her fight this Saturday:
(Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
Her opponent, despite making her UFC debut, is certainly no rookie. Rin Nakai (16-0-1) is a huge star in her native Japan, and she brings strong wrestling and judo skills to the fight. She also has a propensity for attacking arms, which is something that Tate said she is very familiar with after twice preparing to fight arm bar specialist Rousey.
A win over Nakai keeps Tate in the title hunt, even though a third fight against an opponent that has twice defeated you is a rarity in mixed martial arts. The rivalry between Tate and Rousey however is unequaled in the sport, and continued interest in that aspect may well propel Tate to another shot at Rousey's title. She'll have to keep winning though, and that's exactly what she plans to do in The UFC's first ever female fight to occur in Japan.
UFC Fight Night 52 will be headlined by a hard hitting heavyweight contender's match up between #6 ranked Mark Hunt and #8 ranked Roy Nelson.
Follow Richard Hunter on Twitter for breaking MMA news and live tweets during the fights.
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