IF Justino can show she can safely compete at 135 pounds.
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With a title shot likely awaiting Saturday’s victor, you’d expect two of the division’s best and more experienced contenders to be featured in a fight like this. After reviewing the wreckage that Rousey has left in the wake of her dominant run, there’s a great argument to be made of facing her off against Tate again. This, more than anything, is what keeps Tate a top-shelf fighter at women’s bantamweight.
A big factor in this fight is the pace of the action.
Phil: Tate won me over in her last fight. Her submission game is solid, and her submission defense is very good.
Tate disputes the concept that she was stalling and seemed to take umbrage with Eye’s trash talk. If Eye has her way, her match against Tate will be a stand-up affair in which she can pick Tate apart on the feet with her superior striking. Although she has yet to take down the current champ, that doesn’t mean she isn’t up for another re-match. He says: “This fight is going to go 15 minutes”. Tate could use her wrestling to control the action if Eye stands well and lands more significant strikes. Tate was the former Strikeforce Bantamwieght champion until she lost to Rousey in 2012. In another world, she’s 3-0 and a shoo-in to fight Rousey. As for this fight, I think Ronda brings out the best in me.
Barring something unusual happening in Brazil the following week, Rousey vs. Tate III is coming.
Phil: Jessica Eye has had a unusual first three fights in the UFC. I know she’s hungry. For the record, I’m saying Holm is a more interesting fight to think about, not that she has a chance to win, because she really doesn’t.
Tate may just get her wish to get back in the octagon with her nemesis, as she has been on a winning streak, taking down her last three opponents. If Tate wins, the decision to put Holm in is that much easier, as the interest in seeing Tate get beaten up for a third time by the same person just isn’t there.
Rousey is quickly running out of formidable opponents.
“I definitely miss being a champion”, Tate said at Thursday’s open workouts.
Tate and Rousey are bitter rivals and have fought twice.
“But at this point, there’s no one else that’s doing what I’ve been able to do”. No one in the division has an exceptionally strong case for the shot. She’s looking to mix it up at all times. No matter how much I can’t trust Tate to fight tactically, she’s tough enough to weather Eye’s boxing storm, and opportunistic enough to make the most of her chances. If Brent Brookhouse reported it before the official report would he be anxious about having to fight her in a seedy Thailand bar with little baby four ounce Akuma ropes that barely cover the knuckles?
Nobody in the women’s bantamweight division is as resourceful as Tate. But as far as the coaching relationship goes, it makes it harder because I’m one of her head coaches and not only do I have to stress about my fight, but I have to stress out about her fight.
“I think that’s how my life has always been”. Leslie Smith, who isn’t even ranked.
Only she won’t stop Tate’s takedowns, and thus Eye won’t win. It was a ploy for her to try to get her fans to think for some reason that I was stalling or delaying to fight her. When we actually got our fight contracts for this date, I signed mine right away and tried to spin it back in her face and be like now where’s your contract now that we have a real contract? Unfortunately for her, the rivalry has been somewhat one-sided.
You won the Strikeforce championship in Chicago. There is no if in that scenario.
Phil: Two finish losses to the champ like is normally an unbreakable barrier to further title aspirations, meaning that only Eye could conceivably get a title shot off a win here. I’m ready to do what I love most.
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“I started out on this journey, and the end result is I want a title”, Eye said.
