Ronda Rousey thinks third meeting with Miesha Tate may be the last

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey

UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey already is talking up a third fight with Miesha Tate, two days after her longtime rival secured a meeting with the winner of Rousey’s sixth attempted title defense opposite Bethe Correia at Saturday’s UFC 190.

“If she’s the best competitor and she’s who the fans want to see then, yeah, I’m extremely interested in doing it,” Rousey (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) said during a media teleconference in support of the pay-per-view event at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Following Tate’s (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) unanimous decision over Jessica Eye (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in the co-main event of this past Saturday’s UFC on FOX 16, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the ex-Strikeforce champ, whom Rousey defeated to eventually become the first women’s champ in the UFC (and later beat in a rematch), is the No. 1 contender in the women’s bantamweight division.

White reportedly texted Rousey updates of Tate’s fight with Eye while she was training for Saturday’s fight, and while she didn’t see the bout, she was left with a positive review of her rival’s performance – and a plan to deliver a third rout in the cage.

“I’m not surprised (she beat Eye),” Rousey said. “She’s a great competitor and athlete. I’ve always said there’s amazing things about her as a fighter.

“I need these other girls. It’s not like I can do this by myself; I need a dance partner, and the analogy I use a lot is these girls are like plants. Sometimes, you can grow a crop and you can harvest it year after year like Miesha, and sometimes you harvest it once and it will never grow back – like I don’t think Bethe will ever come back after this. But I think this might be the final season I can harvest the Tate crop.”

Of course, Rousey first needs to get by Correia (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who’s yet to experience defeat in professional competition or in the UFC’s octagon. The Brazilian challenger is convinced she’ll be the first to hand the champ a loss.

Rousey, meanwhile, is hoping to deal out extra punishment to Correia after the title challenger “crossed the line” in promoting the fight when she told Rousey not to kill herself when she experienced defeat. She later apologized for the comments and said she wasn’t aware Rousey’s father had committed suicide.

The exchange turned up the heat on a rivalry that’s simmered since Correia targeted Rousey and beat several of her teammates. Would the same interest be there for Tate, a fighter who the champ has beaten twice in dominant fashion?

“There’s fan interest, so there’s my interest,” Rousey said. “I’m interested in defending my title as many times as I need to before I feel like I’m done. If she’s the best competitor and she’s who the fans want to see, then I’m extremely interested in doing it.

“I’m an entertainer. I’m not just here for myself. I’m totally down if she’s the won who’s piqued my interest after I’m done beating Bethe.”

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