Miesha Tate has defended her fierce criticism of Aspen Ladd following their feud over the last few weeks.

Tate, who faces Ketlen Vieira in a bantamweight main event this weekend, voiced her criticism of Ladd earlier this year. The comments came as a result of Ladd missing weight for her contest with Macy Chiasson, forcing the bout to be cancelled due to concerns for Ladd’s health.

Now, Tate has advised Ladd that being coached by someone you also date may not be the best decision.

“It is, from my experience, generally problematic when a female fighter, especially younger, starts dating a coach,” she said. “The more the age difference, the more they become, sort of, hooks in, claws deep, and they start to feel like they can rule your life. And that can happen even outside of fighting, but when you add that kind of dynamic to it as well, it can just be such an ugly situation. So I think it’s something we should definitely have conversations about, make people a little more aware that it doesn’t have to be that way.

“But a lot of times, I feel like women gravitate toward a male figure that’s in their life consistently and trying to help them. But once it becomes a relationship, things become so entangled and so intertwined, and it’s very difficult not only to separate your personal life from when you go into the gym, but the gym from when you go home. That was my biggest problem was that the coach always came home. I lost the significant other, if you will, and it just became this mental game — it was 24/7.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

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