UFC 196's Miesha Tate: No guarantees I’ll get another title shot after this

LAS VEGAS – It took Miesha Tate four fights to get to this point, and even when she thought she was there, she wasn’t.

Tate was once passed over for a shot at the UFC’s women’s bantamweight title in favor of Holly Holm (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who went on to win the strap against the fighter who twice defeated Tate (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC), ex-champ Ronda Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

But now that Rousey’s comeback has been delayed, Tate is getting another opportunity to be a champion, which puts her in a unique position.

“I’m one in two women in the whole world that’s fighting Saturday night for the biggest promotion in MMA, and how could you take that for granted? I understand this is a big opportunity for me,” said Tate at an open workout for her co-headliner against champ Holm at Saturday’s UFC 196, which takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

It’s anyone’s guess how Tate’s style will clash with Holm, a former boxing champ with expert striking skills. But Tate knows the time is now to perform at her peak, because it might not come around again.

“There’s no guarantees that I’ll ever get another title shot at this point, so it is a do-or-die,” she said. “It’s the only thing that matters to me. Nothing comes after that, and it’s just tunneling in. I feel super energetic and super focused.”

Tate said she’s never felt better for a fight, but there’s a lot of time between now and her big moment. Check out the above video to get her thoughts on Holm, headliner Conor McGregor, and her journey to a second title shot.

For more on UFC 196, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.