Could Tate become the new face of women’s MMA?
The future of women’s MMA in Zuffa may be uncertain, but bantamweight contender Meisha Tate is ready to lead the charge. A win over Marloes Coenen could help Tate replace Gina Carano as the face of women’s MMA.
“There is maybe a little bit of a double standard because I think that any way the women are generally promoted is based on looks. That is unfortunate, but it is reality. I think the reason they are looking for the face of women’s MMA is because there isn’t that many of us, so they are really looking for the representative to carry it to the next level. Men’s MMA is obviously quite a few years ahead in development and women’s MMA is probably 5-10 years behind.”
During the press conference, the Tate vs. Coenen bout was touted as the equivalent to Cyborg vs. Carano, which is credited as the biggest fight in WMMA to date. Tate elaborated on what she feels is the major differences between the two bouts.
“I think this fight, at this point, is more important. It might not carry as much tension, but this fight comes at a more pivotal point for the women. Hopefully the UFC and those guys who might not know exactly what is going on with us but are tossing the idea around, they are paying attention and watching this fight. I am aware of that, and I think that Marloes and myself will be great representatives.”
“This is great because I feel like this will be the first time that the women’s bantamweight division will really have the spotlight on it. Gina and Cyborg have done great at 145, but there isn’t as much depth there as there is at 135. People are constantly arguing that there aren’t enough women, and that’s not true. It’s just that we haven’t been given our chance to shine yet.
“So I’m really exciting to really put it on for the 135-pound division, and we also have a good fight on the undercard between Julie Kedzie and Alexis Davis. Those are girls who people aren’t really aware are out there and ranked in the top 10.
“I’m just excited to go out there and do work.”