Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is retired from the sport of mixed martial arts. That being said, the former title holder does not plan to entirely stay out of competition.
Tate recently had her first born child. Speaking to MMA Junkie, Tate revealed that she is interested in entering grappling competitions in the near future.
“I definitely see training as part of my life moving forward. There’s no way I could just let that go. It’s been such a big part of my life since, I would say, 15 years old is when I started wrestling. I’m anxious to get back. I’m not quite there, but I’m really close. I’m working out, but I just haven’t actually got back on the mat.
“I think I want to start with some drilling and then work into grappling, and I would like to compete in some grappling competitions of some sort.”
“Motherhood has forced me to totally reorganize my life and change things. I used to be such a spur-of-the-moment person, and I realize now I have a baby, and I have to really plan things and think things through and have a diaper bag, and I’m really responsible for this whole other little person, so it’s given me a whole other new perspective and such a respect for parents, and obviously mothers. Every mother who’s done this before me has my complete admiration because it’s not easy.”
“Sometimes when I watch it, in the heat of the moment, it’s like, ‘It would be great if I could just go back in there,’ but the thing is all the work and training. If you could just show up and fight, I would probably do it. But to have to go through the whole training camp, the dieting and the politics of everything, it gets crazy. And the sport has changed – I don’t know if it’s for the better or for the worse, but it’s definitely much different than when I started, and for me, I don’t have that same calling that I did in the forefront of when I started this all, so things have changed, and I think where my passion really lies now with is my family and with my daughter, so I think the grappling should suffice that competitive nature I have.”
