2) Third Time’s The Charm (2 of 5)
2) Third Time’s The Charm (2 of 5)
Despite being the Women’s Bantamweight Champion, there is one thing that still haunts Tate and will continue to do so. She hasn’t had a victory over Ronda Rousey yet, even though she faced her twice. Tate and Rousey have bad blood. Their rivalry is so legendary that UFC President Dana White credited their Strikeforce match for bringing women’s mixed martial arts to the company.
Tate and Rousey first faced off against each other at Strikeforce. It all began when Rousey, a new Strikeforce fighter, challenged the then-champion Tate to a fight because she thought it would garner attention. She was right. The match was highly publicized. Both fighters trash talked each other before the face-off. Tate didn’t think that Rousey had truly earned the title shot, and felt that she only got it because she was pretty. Rousey, on the other hand, said that she was bored while watching Tate’s fight with Coenen. Both fighters met in the ring and Rousey emerged as the new champion. That was the first blow.
They met again, this time at UFC. Rousey was the inaugural Women’s Bantamweight Champion and Tate was the challenger. The two fighters clashed in a rematch took that place at UFC 168. The match went on for three rounds and Rousey’s armbar proved to be Tate’s undoing once more. That was the second blow.
But Tate doesn’t want a third blow. She wants to end the armbar curse once and for all. That’s the reason she has challenged Rousey to face her for the third time. She may not yet have a victory over Rousey but hey, third time’s the charm. And anything is possible.