Miesha Theresa Tate[4] (/ˈmiːʃə/ MEE-shə; born August 18, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist.

While attending Franklin Pierce High School, Tate sought a sport to participate in, and eventually chose amateur wrestling over basketball.

"[6] After seeing her training partners perform in actual competition, Tate was encouraged to accept her first amateur bout in March 2006, in which she was matched against Elizabeth Posener, a Muay Thai specialist.

[7] Tate escaped a submission attempt and responded by "whaling down punches" while Posener was on her back for the remainder of the round.

[6] Tate made her professional debut in mixed martial arts in November 2007 at the one-night HOOKnSHOOT Women's Grand Prix.

She defeated Jan Finney by decision, but was knocked out later in the night by a head-kick from eventual tournament champion Kaitlin Young.

[1] Tate captured the 135-pound FCF Women's Bantamweight Championship by defeating Liz Carreiro at Freestyle Cage Fighting 30 on April 4, 2009.

[2] On June 27, 2008, Tate debuted in Strikeforce, an MMA promotion based in San Jose, California, which televised bouts on Showtime and CBS.

[12] After stepping away to defend her FCF title in January 2010, Tate faced Zoila Gurgel at Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs. Mahe on March 26, 2010.

A random drawing was held on the day of the weigh-ins to determine first-round matchups and Tate faced Maiju Kujala in the opening round of the tournament.

She then defeated Hitomi Akano by unanimous decision after three rounds to become Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Tournament Champion.

[13] Tate was scheduled to challenge Marloes Coenen for the Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Championship on March 5, 2011, but withdrew from the fight after suffering a knee injury in training.

However, Ronda Rousey, a new Strikeforce fighter, offered to fight Kaufman for the top-contender spot, seeking a title shot against Tate specifically.

After a back-and-forth session of grappling, Tate lost the title when Rousey secured a second armbar near the end of the first round, forcing her to submit.

Company president Dana White credited her fight with Ronda Rousey for bringing women's MMA to the promotion.

[28] On May 28, it was announced that Zingano had withdrawn as Rousey's opponent and opposing coach after suffering a knee injury which required surgery, and had been replaced by Tate.

[27] Prior to their rematch, Rousey expressed respect for Tate's fighting ability, and declared her appreciation for their rivalry.

[31] Tate faced Liz Carmouche in the co-main event at UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne on April 19, 2014.

[32] Tate then faced promotion newcomer Rin Nakai at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson on September 20, 2014.

[36] On March 20, 2015, it was announced that Tate would face Jessica Eye in a bout on July 25, 2015, at UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2.

However, on April 6, White revealed that Tate would instead fight Amanda Nunes in her first title defense at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016.

[43] In this fight, Nunes battered Tate with several consecutive strikes and finished her with a rear-naked choke three minutes into the first round.

[50] On March 24, 2021, Tate announced she would be returning to compete in MMA against Marion Reneau on July 17, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs.

[63] However on May 10, it was announced that Tate suffered an undisclosed injury and that Bueno Silva would instead headline UFC on ESPN 49 against Holly Holm.

[67] Tate is scheduled to face former Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion Yana Santos on May 3, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 258.

[3][69] In July 2011, Tate won the Strikeforce Bantamweight Championship by becoming the first woman to ever submit Marloes Coenen in an MMA bout.

"[72] During the earlier phase of her career, Tate was generally noted for her double-leg takedowns, usually performed by picking an opponent up while pressing them against the cage.

[73][74][75] Having won multiple titles in wrestling, Tate was well known for her power on the ground, which often allowed her to hold opponents in vulnerable positions.

[74][77] She employed a variety of submissions while grappling with opponents, including heel hooks, guillotines, and kimura locks.

[86] In 2014, Tate became the second MMA fighter (after Donald Cerrone) to join NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick's KHI Management company.