For many years, the UFC has given worthy fighters and contributors their rightful place in the UFC Hall Of Fame. The Hall Of Fame has several wings which includes the Pioneer wing, the Modern-era, Contributors, and Fights to honor the very best that have taken place in the promotion’s history.
Last year’s Modern-era wing featured Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans as inductees and in 2020, there should be a legendary female added to the wing. Four years after she retired from competition, it’s time for Miesha Tate to get the recognition she deserves and she should be inducted into the 2020 Hall Of Fame.
In 2018, Tate’s former rival Ronda Rousey took her respective place in the Hall Of Fame, and with women’s MMA always growing, Tate deserves to be enshrined next.
With a record of 18-7 in her professional career, Tate has wins over some of the most notable names in women’s MMA, including her memorable title win over Holly Holm back at UFC 196 in 2016. While the fight against Holm has enough credibility to be enshrined in the fights wing, the character and will of Tate that was on display in her comeback victory over Holm to secure UFC gold, is all the proof that is needed for her place in history.
A former UFC and Strikeforce bantamweight champion, Tate had Rousey as a dance-partner in a rivalry that captivated women’s MMA and in turn, they both became a staple for women fighters and inspiration to young females looking to get into fighting.
The UFC’s Hall Of Fame should not just accept length resumes but also the changing impact that fighters have made, and Tate has made plenty of impact. When Ronda Rousey moved on from the UFC to WWE in 2016, she was quickly inducted into the Hall Of Fame just two years later in 2018. Rousey’s place in UFC history is not to be questioned, but her time with Tate as her rival dance partner certainly helped elevate both of them to greater heights.
Opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, rivals inside the Octagon, and both having their time as bantamweight champion, Tate and Rousey have a place in history that even many male fighters don’t get to experience.
Miesha Tate, nicknamed “Cupcake”, is one of the best ambassadors of mixed martial arts, female or male, and her outgoing, caring, and respectful personality throughout her career was the icing on the cake.
Many fighters retire or walk away from the UFC or MMA as a whole and never give back, but in what can just be another worthy resume, Tate has gone on to remain around the sport she starred in, and she’s making quite the contribution.
Since she’s retired not only has Tate become a mother in her personal life, but she’s also a host of MMA Tonight on Sirius XM and has never been shy to address any topics in the fight game, she does great work in interviews with other coaches and fighters, and breaks down fights from a perspective that others can’t offer.
On top of her media work, Tate was named vice president at ONE back in 2018 where she also does commentating work and is a brand ambassador.
Simply put, Miesha Tate has stuck around the sport and furthermore, has contributed to the sport in an impactful way that a future Hall Of Famer would. Paving the way for female fighters who have come after her and even those who rose up while she was actively fighting, Tate’s impact always extended further than just herself.
She defined what it means to be a mixed martial artist during her fighting career and now that her post-fighting career has continued impacting the sport, Miesha Tate deserves her rightful place in the Modern-era wing of the UFC Hall Of Fame in 2020.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/29/2020