Miesha Tate (UFC) Wiki, Height, Weight, Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Miesha Tate is an American professional Mixed Martial Artist who has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a Bantamweight fighter. She held the titles of UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion in 2016, Freestyle Cage Fighting (FCF) Women’s Bantamweight Championship in 2009, and Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship in 2011. She held the position of vice president at ONE Championship. As of July 2023, she was ranked #12 in the UFC women’s bantamweight category.

Wiki/Biography

Miesha Theresa Tate, also known as Miesha Tate, was born on Monday, 18 August 1986 (age 37 years; as of 2023) in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. Her zodiac sign is Leo.

As a child, Miesha Tate was a tomboy and often played with boys. In her fourth class, she used to attend Harvard Elementary School. In high school, at Franklin Pierce High School, she chose wrestling over basketball and was on the boy’s wrestling team. In her final year, 2005, she won the girls’ state championship. During her graduation at Central Washington University, a friend introduced her to the mixed martial arts (MMA) club. The club mainly had wrestlers, and Tate felt at home right away and started her journey as a full-time martial artist. She has been a part of the team, Xtreme Couture since 2007. In an interview she said,

I got my butt kicked pretty hard for the first few weeks. I had no idea what I was doing, like a fish out of water. I think the first part of the season, the coaches and guys speculated that I wasn’t there to stay: ‘She’ll quit. She can’t hang. Let’s make it hard on her, so she’ll want to leave. That was only more motivating. I guess I’ve always loved a challenge. My friends were mostly boys. We’d climb trees, make up games and I kind of had that mentality. It didn’t bother me to get roughed up by the guys. I was used to it. I went there, and it really was a bunch of wrestlers. I fit right in. I started learning some basic jiu-jitsu and picked it up really quickly. At that point, I had no interest in fighting. I told guys I didn’t want to get punched in the face.”

A picture of Miesha in her High School

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 6″

Weight (approx.): 57 kg

Hair Colour: Dark Brown

Eye Colour: Blonde

Figure Measurements (approx.): 34-28-32

Family

Miesha belongs to an American family.

Parents & Siblings

Miehsa’s father’s name is Robert Schmidt, and her mother’s name is Michelle Tate.

She has a sister, Felicia Martin, who is a model.

Husband & Children

Miesha married Johnny Nuñez, who is a ONE Championship Fighter, on 1 January 2018.

They had their first daughter on 4 June 2018, named Amaia Nevaeh Nuñez. She announced her second pregnancy on 25 December 2019. Her son, Daxton Wylder Nuñez, was born on 14 June 2020.

Relationship/Affair

Miesha Tate dated Bryan Caraway, a fighter in the UFC,  since her college days. Bryan was a trainee at Yakima MMA, where they first met each other.

Signature/Autograph

Career

Mixed Martial Arts

Tate started her professional MMA career in November 2007 as a Bantamweight fighter at the HOOKnSHOOT: BodogFIGHT 2007 Women’s Tournament. She had her first fight against Jan Finney on 24 November 2007, and she won the match by a unanimous decision. In her next fight on the same day, she lost to Kaitlin Young from a head kick. She described her first fight experience by saying,

It just wasn’t what I expected. It was totally inspiring and so cool. It was beautiful. I was blown away by the passion.”

Miesha Tate vs Jan Finney

Strikeforce

On 27 June 2008, she made her debut as a Featherweight fighter against Elaina Maxwell at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson event in San Jose, California. She won the fight by a unanimous decision. In April 2009, after winning the FCF title, she went back to Strikeforce on 15 May 2009. She was scheduled to fight Kim Couture but ended up facing Sarah Kaufman. Tate lost to Kaufman by a unanimous decision. Later, on 26 March 2010, she faced Zoila Gurgel at Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs. Mahe. Tate won by getting Gurgel in an armbar in the second round.

 

First MMA title

At Freestyle Cage Fighting 30, on 4 April 2009, Tate won the FCF Women’s Bantamweight Championship, 135 pounds, by beating Liz Carreiro. She won the match by a shoulder hold submission hold in the third round. She successfully defended this title once on 16 January 2010 against Valerie Coolbaugh at Freestyle Cage Fighting 38, by defeating her with an armbar submission in the first round.

 

Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion

On 13 August 2010, during a one-night Strikeforce event, Tate took part in Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor. On the weigh-in day, a draw decided that her first opponent would be Maiju Kujala at a semi-final match. Tate won this fight with a unanimous decision. After that fight, she was to fight against Hitomi Akano in the finale. She won the fight with a unanimous decision and became the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Tournament Champion.

Later, Tate was set to compete against Marloes Coenen for the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship in March 2011. However, she had to pull out due to a knee injury she got while training. The fight was then postponed to 30 July 2011. During the fight, in the fourth round, Tate was able to defeat Coenen by a triangle arm submission. Before their match, Tate said,

“I’m going to try to kill her, I really am. I’m going to try to get to the point where the referee is fearful [for] her life and stops the fight. That’s my goal.”

Miesha Tate defeated Marloes Coenen by a triangle arm lock

On 18 August 2012, Tate went up against Julie Kedzie at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman. Tate won the match by armbar submission against Kedzie despite getting knocked down twice.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In February 2013, after Strikeforce closed, Tate joined the UFC. Dana White, the UFC president, mentioned her fight with Ronda Rousey as the reason for including women in the UFC. Tate was set to fight Cat Zingano at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on 13 April 2013. Tate’s main aim was to become a champion.  The stakes for her fight against Zingano were high, as the winner would challenge Ronda Rousey, the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. The winner would also coach against Rousey on the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter, a UFC reality TV show. Tate lost the fight in the third round by a TKO, and she felt the fight was stopped early. Their performance during the fight earned both fighters a Fight of the Night bonus. Later, Zingano, who was originally set to face Rousey and coach against her on the reality show, had to pull out due to a knee injury, and Tate was chosen as her replacement.

 

First title shot

Before their upcoming match, Rousey acknowledged her respect for Tate’s abilities and expressed gratitude for their rivalry. Tate also praised Rousey’s contributions to women’s MMA, despite their level of differences. The two faced off once more at UFC 168 on 28 December 2013. Tate lost the match in the third round by Rousey’s signature armbar submission hold.

First UFC victories

On 19 April 2014, Tate fought Liz Carmouche at UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne, and won by unanimous decision. The fight marked her first UFC win since 2013. She then faced Rin Nakai at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson on 20 September 2014, and won again by a unanimous decision, bringing her UFC record to two wins and two losses.

Tate’s next opponent was Sara McMann at UFC 183 on 31 January 2015. Despite McMann’s wrestling background, Tate managed to out-grapple her in the third round and won the match by a majority decision. This victory led FoxSports.com to declare Tate as the top 135-pound fighter outside the reigning champion.

Tate was scheduled to fight Jessica Eye on 25 July 2015, at UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2. Tate won the match by a unanimous decision.

UFC Champion

Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey to win the UFC Bantamweight Championship on 14 November 2015. A few months later, in January 2016, the UFC declared that Tate would challenge Holm for the title at UFC 196 on 5 March 2016. After a competitive fight, Tate won the fight in the fifth round by defeating Holm using a rear-naked choke. This victory made Tate the new UFC Bantamweight Champion and earned her the Performance of the Night bonus.

 

It was initially announced that Tate’s first title defence would be against Rousey, but UFC president Dana White later revealed a change. Tate had to defend her title against Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 on 9 July 2016. During the match, Nunes overpowered Tate with powerful strikes and successfully used a rear-naked choke in the first round and took the title from Tate.

Retirement

Tate faced Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 on 12 November 2016. Before the fight, Tate had plans to take a break from MMA. She had also agreed to have a grappling rematch with Jessica Eye for a Submission Underground event on 11 December 2016. However, after her loss to Pennington by unanimous decision, Tate decided to retire from professional MMA.

After her fight she said,

I love you all so much, I’ve been doing this for over a decade. Thank you so much for being here, I love this sport forever but it’s not my time anymore.”

 

ONE Championship

Miesha Tate joined ONE Championship as a Vice President on 7 November 2018. But in 2021, she decided to leave the job in order to return back to MMA.

UFC return

In March 2021, Tate announced her MMA come back to have her first returning match against Marion Reneau on 17 July 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés. She won the match by a third-round TKO and earned her a second Performance of the Night award.

Tate was set to fight Ketlen Vieira on 16 October 2021, at UFC Fight Night 195. However, the match was postponed when Tate tested positive for COVID-19 in September 2021. The fight was rescheduled for 20 November 2021, at UFC Fight Night 198. Tate was defeated by Vieria by a unanimous decision.

Move to Flyweight

Tate was set to fight Lauren Murphy in a flyweight match on 14 May 2022, at UFC on ESPN 36. But the match got shifted to UFC 276 for unknown reasons. Then, just a week before UFC 276, Murphy had to withdraw because she tested positive for COVID-19. The match was rescheduled and finally took place on 16 July 2022, at UFC on ABC 3, where Tate was defeated by a unanimous decision.

Return to Bantamweight

Tate was set to fight Mayra Bueno Silva on 3 June 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46. But on 10 May 2023, due to an injury to Tate, the match had to be changed. Bueno Silva then was set to fight Holly Holm in the main event at UFC on ESPN 49. Tate’s next fight was scheduled against Julia Avila on 2 December 2023, at UFC Fight Night 233.

Signature Move

In the initial stages of her career, Tate was well-known for executing double-leg takedowns, often lifting her opponent against the cage. ¹

 

Awards/Titles/Achievements

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship

• UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship (One time)
  

  Miesha with her title belt

• Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Cat Zingano, Ronda Rousey

• Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Holly Holm and Marion Reneau

Strikeforce

• Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship
  

  Miesha with her Strikeforce title belt

• Strikeforce 2010 Women’s Bantamweight Tournament Winner
  

  Miesha with her Strikeforce tournament belt

Freestyle Cage Fighting

• FCF Women’s Bantamweight Championship

World MMA Awards

• 2011 Female Fighter of the Year

• 2016 Comeback of the Year vs. Holly Holm at UFC 196

BloodyElbow.com

• 2013 WMMA Fight of the Year vs. Ronda Rousey on 28 December 2013

MMADNA.nl

• 2016 Comeback of the Year vs. Holly Holm

Submission grappling

• 2009 World Team Trials Silver Medalist

• 2008 FILA Grappling World Championships Senior Women’ No-Gi Silver Medalist

• 2008 World Team Trials National Grappling Champion

Car Collection

• Kia Rio

• Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV
  

  Miesha with her SUV

Salary/Income/Earnings

• Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson: W( Maxwell) – $1,500 ($1,000 to show, $500 win bonus)

• Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs. Mahe: W (Gurgel) – $5,000 ($3,000 to show, $2,000 win bonus)

• Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor: W (Kujala) – $8,000 ($4,000 to show, $4,000 win bonus) & W (Akano) – $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 win bonus)

• Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey: – L (Rousey) – $19,000

• Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman: W( Kedzie) – $38,000 ($19,000 to show, $19,000 win bonus)

• TUF 17 Finale: L (Zingano) – $78,000 ($28,000 to show, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

• UFC 168: L (Rousey) – $103,000 ($28,000 to show, $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

• UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne: W (Carmouche) – $56,000 ($28,000 to show, $28,000 win bonus)

• UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson: W (Nakai) – $66,000 ($33,000 to show, $33,000 win bonus)

• UFC 183: W (McMann) – $76,000 ($38,000 to show, $38,000 win bonus)

• UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barao 2: W (Eye) – $89,000 ($42,000 to show, $42,000 win bonus, $5,000 Reebok sponsorship)

• UFC 196: W (Holm) – $172,000 ($46,000 to show, $46,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $30,000 Reebok sponsorship)

• UFC 200: L (Nunes) – $540,000 ($500,000 to show, $40,000 Reebok sponsorship)

• UFC 205: L (Pennington) – $60,000 ($50,000 to show, $10,000 Reebok sponsorship)

• UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Moises: W (Reneau) – $261,000 ($100,000 to show, $100,000 win bonus, $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, $11,000 fight week incentive pay)

• UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate: L (Vieira) – $121,000 ($110,000 to show, $11,000 fight week incentive pay)

Total Career Earnings: $1,703,500 ²

Net Worth

As of 2023, Miesha Tate has a net worth of $8 Million. ³

Controversy

At the UFC 200 weigh-ins, Miesha Tate nearly had a wardrobe malfunction which became one of the most embarrassing moments in the UFC. It raised major concerns about gender equality. People questioned why there weren’t female officials during such moments. Tate’s team talked about her weight-cutting issues. Regardless, she made the required weight for her fight against Amanda Nunes.

 

Favourites

• Toys: Barbie dolls

• Football Club: Seattle Seahawks

• Game Character: Luigi (Mario series)

Facts/Trivia

• Miesha Tate is also known by the nickname “Cupcake” in the octagon. Tate is also known as “Takedown” due to her renowned expertise in grappling, including wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

• Miesha was featured in the award-winning documentary, “Fight Life,” directed by James Z. Feng in 2013. She was a part of the cast in the movie Fight Valley.

• Miesha is a playable character in the EA Sports game series of UFC.
  

  Miesha Tate in the UFC game

• In her younger days, Miesha used to act like a tomboy and hated wearing dresses. She only had male friends and she used to enjoy playing on slides and climbing trees. Her father said in an interview,
  

  She would climb every tree” ⁴

• In July 2011, Tate won the Strikeforce Bantamweight Championship by being the first to submit Marloes Coenen in MMA. Later, at UFC 183, she showcased her grappling skills by outperforming Olympic wrestling medalist, Sara McMann.

• Miesha owns a Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. ⁵

• She owns a Jonagi pet dog named Mookie. She also had a Miniature Pinscher named Skooter, which she gave to her parents in 2019. In 2015, she adopted a kitten and named her Cupcake.
  

  Miesha’s pet cat

  

  Miesha with her pet dog

  

  Miesha holding her dog

• Many major media platforms like Yahoo! and FoxSports.com have praised Tate’s ground game and highlighted her powerful and dominant nature, pointing out that her opponents frequently struggled once taken down.

• Tate has played an important role in life-saving incidents. In 2014, she saved the life of Bryan Caraway’s (her ex-boyfriend) mother during a scuba diving asthma attack. Also, in 2016, Tate helped a six-year-old girl with a broken arm during a hike in Nevada.

• Tate occasionally consumes alcohol.
  

  Miesha and her friends share a drink

• Tate has been sponsored and associated with notable brands like NASCAR, 4Ocean, and Budweiser. She has also been featured in an advertisement for Infinite Labs’ Fighter’s Power.

• Miesha has her own YouTube channel with over 10.1K subscribers and 52 videos as of 2023.
  

  Miesha Tate’s YouTube channel

• She occasionally likes to spend her time at beaches and swimming.
  

  Miesha at a beach

• Miesha worked as a part-time model before starting her MMA career.
  

  A picture of Miesha Tate while working as a model

• Miesha Tate consumes a non-vegetarian diet.
  

  Miesha’s diet

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