Miesha Tate leads women to unexpected but welcome honor as UFC 200 headliners

UFC 200: Miesha Tate"s coach (Rob Follis) Explains Last-Second Weigh-in

LAS VEGAS -- Miesha Tate has never appreciated questions about Ronda Rousey before. But this one was different.

Asked in an interview earlier this week with CBS Sports whether Rousey"s absence, and the fact women"s mixed martial arts is currently driven by narratives that have nothing to do with her, is good for the sport, Tate sounded eager and excited to give an answer.

This was her kind of Ronda Rousey question.

"We always got criticized for not having enough depth," she said. "And I think having the belt change a couple times is the best thing that could have happened. Instead of singling out one female that has to carry the entire sport, we have to disperse and make more stars, which helps legitimize the sport of women"s MMA."

And that was before happenstance put Tate on a course to be the top fight Saturday at UFC 200. She has an opportunity push women"s MMA markedly forward, all despite holding a belt without ever having defeated Rousey herself.

First, Holly Holm stunned the sport at UFC 193 with a win over Rousey. Then, in Holm"s first title defense at UFC 196, it was Tate who made sure the women"s bantamweight title again changed hands.

Now, it"s Jon Jones and his failed drug test who can be thanked for giving the women a shot at further establishing themselves in a sport that was male-dominated for far too long. Tate"s title defense against Amanda Nunes has been promoted to the top of UFC 200 by president Dana White. It is a seminal moment for women, a touchstone that shows how far they have come in being treated as equals in one of the world"s most violent sports.

"This really proves there is depth and that"s exactly why I"ve been saying Amanda is dangerous," Tate said. "Just as they underestimated me with Holly, and Holly with Ronda, the mistake I don"t want to make is follow suit in that."

Still, the fact that UFC 200"s top fight features two women -- neither named Ronda Rousey -- speaks to a sea change. Unseen depth is one thing. But now that depth is front and center being called upon to protect what -- for White and the UFC -- was turning into an epic disaster.

Let"s not pretend otherwise: Women"s sports have always played a distant second fiddle to their men"s counterparts. The WNBA does not remotely approach the NBA in terms of relevance. Women"s golf is, at best, an afterthought. Same for women"s college hoops. Even women"s tennis, with Serena Williams still active as one of the sport"s all-time players, has not broken through the way it should. Williams herself correctly pointed out at Wimbledon this year that she and other women are too often relegated to less glamorous courts while the top men routinely play on Centre Court.

The only time, outside UFC 200 this weekend, that women"s sports otherwise get top billing is the Olympics. And that"s mostly amateur sports, every two years, and due as much to nationalism as sporting fervor.

On the surface, UFC does not seem like the place for the women to make a major breakthrough. It is a b****y and violent combat sport, and as such, it leans heavily on notions of strength, masculinity and the celebration of violence. Women can compete in these spheres, of course, but fans embracing them doing so is a whole other thing. See: boxing.

But thanks largely to Rousey, the women"s end of MMA has become mainstream. She came onto the scene as glamorous, talented, unrelenting, charismatic, biting and above all else a brutal and gifted fighter -- all things that would power a man to stardom. UFC, with a fan base that recognized greatness and tactical skill, bought in. And a crossover star was born.

Then, after Holm proved Rousey was beatable, Tate helped turn the women"s end of the sport into a sensation even with Rousey out of the picture. I was at UFC 196, and her battle with and takedown of Holm was thrilling and wonderful to watch. Not for a woman"s sport, not with some sexist asterisk -- just as a spectacle of two competitors battling for greatness while fans like me reveled in the thrill of the battle.

"You feel more -- I guess that best way I can describe it is "primal,"" Tate said of being in the Octagon. "You think of the primal days when you had to fight for what was yours. There"s no law, no guardian, nothing protecting me and what I have except for my own skill and my own defense and my own will and determination. It"s so raw and pure that it"s just me and her. All the pressure falls on my shoulders to defend what"s mine."

Yes, that is at stake: Tate trying to prove she is no one-hit wonder, no one-time champ, no chump. At Friday"s weigh in, she and Nunes locked arms, tussled, ratcheted up the disrespect and anger. They are both fighting not just against each other but for their places in the sport.

But together, they are fighting for more. Now atop the UFC 200 card, a great fight -- another thrilling match, regardless of who actually wins -- will further cement women"s MMA as a crucial and captivating part of one of the country"s fastest growing sports.

Source: http://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/miesha-tate-leads-women-to-unexpected-but-welcome-honor-as-ufc-200-headliners/