Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate Rivarly

Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate is one of the biggest, most fascinating rivalry’s in UFC history. The rivalry began long before the Women’s UFC division even existed – back in the day it took place at Strikeforce.

Before entering MMA, Rousey earned multiple titles while competing in Judo. She won the gold medal at Pan American Championships in 2004 and 2005, another medal at the world championships in 2007 and many other gold medals. She is also a five-time national champion in the US.

Tate began competing in amateur wrestling in high school, winning the state championship in Washington in 2005. She also won a national grappling championship at the 2008 World Team Trials, and a silver medal at the 2008 FILA Worlds Grappling championships. She made her MMA transition at a tournament and became 135-pound championship of Freestyle Cage Fighting in 2009. She then won the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship, also 135-pound division.

Rousey explained one time, "I kind of created this rivalry on purpose because I had enough friends, and I really could use a few enemies. And the result of how much attention this fight's been getting, that just proves me right." She also claimed that the challenge was not personal. They dislike each other on a personal basis, but they’ve both mentioned numerous times they respect each other as competitors.

It started over social media and during a series of interviews, with Rousey expressing an interest in fighting for Tate’s Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship Title. As the feud grew, eventually the 2 finally met in the Strikeforce thing in March 2012. It made history as it was deemed a rare occasional: women being placed in the main event of a mixed martial arts card. Rousey defeated Tate via arm bar submission. Following the transition to UFC, Rousey and Tate were eventually booked for a rematch in 2013.

Rousey vs. Tate round 2 didn’t end too mjch differently – although it was a much longer fight as Rousey defeats Tate by submission at 0:58 in round 3.

The rivalry holds a noteworthy place in mixed martial arts history, as it’s one of the main reasons for bringing women’s MMA to the sport’s premier promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).