“He Was Like Are You Hurting for Money?” – Miesha Tate Reveals the Conversations She Had With Dana White

Miesha Tate is well and truly back in the UFC. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion made her return earlier this year after over 5 years. ‘Cupcake’ took on Marion Reneau at UFC on ESPN 26 and got the W with a TKO in the third round.

Tate will return to action this week at UFC Fight Night 198 against Ketlen Vieira. As Vieira is ranked just one position above Tate, it could be an interesting matchup for both women. In the lead-up to the fight, the former champion in an interview talked about her comeback. Many people questioned her motivation to get back inside the octagon.

She needed to convince people she actually wanted it, and the first person actually was Dana White. Tate said, “The first person I had to prove that to was Dana, actually. I think he had the same concerns. He was like, are you hurting for money? I was like, no, I’m really doing well actually, but I want to fight. For me, it’s never been about money but of course, I want to make money.” 

Talking about when the conversation with White happened, she said, “My conversation with Dana, well, it started out on Instagram and he was ignoring me when I said I wanted to come back and fight. I don’t think he was taking me serious at all. So finally I showed up at his office and said I want to fight… I just gave him a call as soon as I felt like I was ready to take on a full fight camp. That was in April, and that is when I signed up to fight Marion.”

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Miesha Tate is excited about her next fight

After a dominant and convincing return earlier this year, Tate is looking to keep her momentum going. Vieira is 11-2 in her career but is coming off a loss in her last fight. Tate is excited about going into the matchup.

‘Cupcake’ said, “What excites me is, she was on the verge of being a contender just a few fights ago. She was the hot prospect, and she got upset by Irene Aldana. That’s a very different style matchup than I am, so people might look at that and say that oh well, she lost to Irene by a knockout. She lost to Yana Kunitskaya, who is definitely considered more of a striker. But she’s beaten Sara McMann and Cat Zingano, which are more stylistically like me.”

“So I imagine she’s feeling like she’s got this down, but I’m telling you, I’m the most well-rounded. I’ve gotten so much better with my striking, I’ve become a better athlete. I’m gonna make a hell of a statement that night and it’s going to be my night,” she added.

A solid win in this fight can push Tate’s chances to fight for the title. She lost her title to Amanda Nunes back at UFC 200 and would be pushing for a rematch against her if she gets a W.

What do you think of her comeback? Let us know in the comments!

WATCH THIS STORY – UFC Fight Night: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate – Date, Time, Venue, and Live Stream