Former UFC champion Miesha Tate: Amanda Nunes could be the one to beat Cyborg

Bloodyelbow.com

UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has been calling for a fight against fellow titleholder Amanda Nunes. It is a matchup that she thinks will be the last one in the UFC, which “The Lioness” is willing to take on before the year ends.

This brewing super fight has garnered a bit of buzz, and one of those who has taken notice is former UFC women’s 135-pound champion Miesha Tate. In a recent interview with MMAjunkie, “Cupcake” gave her assessment of the fight, based on her own experience.

“I think Amanda could be the one to beat Cyborg,” Tate said. “The reason that I say that is because I’ve been hit by Amanda. I’ve never been hit by Cyborg, and I’m sure she hits like a truck, but I can definitely attest to the power that Amanda has and she’s deceptively lengthy.”

“She’s very long. You think you’re out of her range and you’re not. She’s someone who could actually probably hurt Cyborg.”

Tate believes Cyborg is still favored to win, but not without a tough fight from Nunes.

“Cyborg, I don’t think has ever really had to respect the power that another woman possesses standing across from her. Or least she never seems to have,” Tate said. “With Amanda, that’s different. She needs to respect the power of Amanda, because if she goes in there and walks in straight like she does most other girls, she could really get hurt. With that being said, Amanda is a 135-er. She’s smaller.”

“Cyborg is the woman to beat. I think odds are still in Cyborg’s favor, but Amanda does possess the ability to hurt and stop Cyborg. I think she has the ability to hurt and stop a lot of men. So, with that being said, I don’t think it would be a mistake on her part to go up to 145 and take on the biggest challenge that there is.”

Cyborg last saw action at UFC 222 in March, when she stopped Yana Kunitskaya via first-round TKO. Nunes, meanwhile, last fought at UFC 224 two months later, where she also won a stoppage victory over Raquel Pennington in the fifth round of their headliner fight.