Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche, who meet in the UFC on FOX 11 co-main event, have one glaring thing in common in their MMA careers.
Both were soundly beaten by undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey.
While Tate (13-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) and Carmouche (9-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) have a handful of career losses, the key defeats were to Rousey. With that in mind, both hope Saturday’s meeting at Amway Center in Orlando (FOX, 8 p.m. ET) will be the first step in differing paths back to the champ.
“I’m looking to climb back up the ladder quickly,” Carmouche tells USA TODAY Sports. “I hope they keep putting me back in there against the top females so I can get to a place where I’m situated to get another title shot.”
Carmouche’s loss to Rousey came in the inaugural UFC women’s fight in February 2013. Like most of Rousey’s opponents, she suffered a first-round armbar defeat in UFC 157′s historic pay-per-view main event.
Tate, on the other hand, has suffered two decisive losses to Rousey since March 2012. Tate, says she wants a third shot at her longtime rival, but after spending most of the last two years thinking about a single foe, she’s ready to focus on something a little different.
“I’m happy to close the door on that chapter for now and move forward with my career,” Tate says. “I think Liz is a great next fight for me to get back in there because she’s ranked in the top 10. I’m very excited.”
Tate’s most recent loss to Rousey came in December in UFC 168. Tate was the first to take the Olympic bronze medalist out of the first round, but Rousey’s slick judo skills carried her to a third-round submission victory.
After a buildup to that fight that included a coaching stint on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, the second Rousey fight was arguably the highest-profile bout of both women’s careers. That’s what made the loss all the more crushing for Tate. However, instead of taking several months to reflect, Tate demanded a quick turnaround, which led to Saturday’s fight with Carmouche.
“I hate sitting on losses since it drives me crazy,” Tate says. “If I was going to take a break, I wanted it to be a break that I earned off of a victory. I don’t want to sit with that loss on my mind. When I get that win, it will ideally put me back on that road.”
Considering the relatively shallow nature of the women’s bantamweight division, it wouldn’t take much more than a few wins in a row for Tate or Carmouche to get back in the title discussion.
While Tate hopes to steer clear of Rousey for the time being, Carmouche wants her rematch, and the fighter nicknamed “Girl-Rilla” plans to remain on call for UFC matchmakers.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that I need to take the opportunities when they come,” Carmouche says. “I need to win this fight, and then it’s up to the UFC to decide what’s next.”