Miesha Tate: As UFC champ, Germaine de Randamie shouldn't run from 'Cyborg' Justino

RIO DE JANEIRO – Miesha Tate may be retired from the sport, but the women’s MMA pioneer still has some strong opinions, particularly in regards to UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie.

De Randamie (7-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has been a fixture in the news in recent weeks due to her unwillingness to put her title on the line against top contender Cristiane Justino (17-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

“The Iron Lady” has made it clear she won’t fight “Cyborg” due to the latter’s history with performance-enhancing drugs. Tate (18-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC), who fought many of the biggest names in the sport prior to her retirement following a loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 in November, said she struggles to sympathize.

“I feel like as the champ, you have to fight everybody,” Tate told MMAjunkie. “‘Cyborg’ has proven to have been one of the best for a long time. She’s a scary lady. I don’t blame Germaine in the fact of being a little bit scared, but that’s her job. Don’t fight at 145 if you don’t think you can be the best at that division.

“That’s my question: Why is she the 145-pound champ if she doesn’t want to be the 145-pound champ? I guess that’s where I can’t understand where her mindset is. I understand that she has her reservations, and that’s her personal opinion about ‘Cyborg.’ Obviously ‘Cyborg’ has been caught before. She has been caught taking performance-enhancing drugs. That’s unfortunate because I don’t think she needs them. I think she’s proven that she’s one of the best in the world without them.”

Few UFC titleholders have been reluctant to fight the obvious next title challenger. De Randamie has made her reasoning clear, but still, she’s been widely accused of being scared to fight the Brazilian striker.

Although de Randamie has mentioned injuries and a desire to drop back down to 135 pounds, Tate said the responsibility of the champion is to fight all comers. And if de Randamie won’t comply, then her status as champion must be reevaluated, she said.

“That’s Germaine’s personal opinion – I can’t speak to that – but I do think as the champion that she should fight the best in the world, and I think that ‘Cyborg’ is the best in the world,” Tate said. “I think she has a job to do, and that’s to be the champ. And to be the champ, you have to be the best, and to be the best, you have to beat the best. That’s ‘Cyborg.’

“I think Germaine feels that ‘Cyborg’ has an unfair advantage. I think that’s what she feels like, and she thinks that’s not fair. I think that’s where her reservation is. She feels that ‘Cyborg’ is a cheater. Therefor she’s obviously a lot smaller and not as strong, and who can compete with ‘Cyborg?’ I don’t think there’s anyone at 145 that competes with her. … I think she just feels like it’s not fair. I guess scared in a fighter’s term – there’s fair, and there’s not. She feels it’s not fair.”

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