Ronda Rousey: Miesha Tate’s best shot is to wait until I retire, which won’t be long

Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate

MELBOURNE, Australia – When Miesha Tate got passed over for a third fight with UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey, she contemplated retirement over the prospect of facing more title eliminators.

Rousey has some advice for her former opponent and rival: Stick around a bit.

“I think it’s an empty threat, because to be honest, I have more miles on me than she does, and her best bet for a career is to wait for me to retire, and her and Holly (Holm) could probably end up fighting for a title,” Rousey today told MMAjunkie. “I think that would be a really good fight.”

First, of course, Rousey (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will fight Holm (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 193 at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. She is a heavy favorite to retain the title.

But Rousey also has indicated several times that there’s an expiration date on her career, and that date may be coming soon. With a blossoming film career and millions in the bank from a two-year reign atop the UFC’s first women’s division, she is nearing the point at which her stature and financial resources could allow her to retire.

“It’s not going to take that long,” Rousey said. “I’m the one with all the surgeries and arthritis. I don’t know why she’s talking about retirement.”

That would leave an opportunity for Tate, a popular fighter in her own right who was passed over for Holm despite four straight UFC wins after a second loss to Rousey at UFC 168.

Tate said she understood the reason why the UFC booked Holm instead of her at UFC 193, but was upset over the way it was announced. She said she wanted the promotion to set out a clear set of expectations for her future career. A series of one-sided opportunities, however, was not in her interest. Being a gatekeeper might prompt her to step away from the sport.

Rousey is unmoved by Tate’s disappointment, though she said she would feel the same way even if it wasn’t coming from a fighter with whom she shared bad blood.

“I don’t feel bad for her at all,” Rousey said. “She thought I didn’t deserve a title shot when I got one, and so who am I to begrudge that to Holly.”

For more on UFC 193, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.