"I think I'm stronger than her, I think I'm faster and I'm more aggressive. Overall, I think I'm a better athlete and I think that I have a bigger goal for the sport in making something of myself. I'm not content with getting a fight here and there. I know she wants to promote her own shows and she kind of fights for fun. I do it for fun as well, but I'm also an extremely competitive person," stated female mixed-martial-artist Miesha Tate as she talked about her upcoming clash with Kim Couture on the May 15th ShoMMA Challenger Series event. Check it out!
PC: How has training been going for your May 15th fight against Kim Couture?
MT: Great! I'm having fun, feeling good, learning new stuff and putting it all together.
PC: Are you training with Dennis Hallman still and if so, how is he helping your game right now?
MT: He's got a million moves. He's like a walking encyclopedia. I have a ton of things to learn from him. He enjoys helping me because of my wrestling style base of fighting because he is the same way. He is complemented by my boyfriend, Bryan Caraway, who also comes from a wrestling background and they both have a lot to offer me.
PC: Obviously you have an advantage in experience over Kim, but what do you feel are some of your other advantages?
MT: I think I'm stronger than her, I think I'm faster and I'm more aggressive. Overall, I think I'm a better athlete and I think that I have a bigger goal for the sport in making something of myself. I'm not content with getting a fight here and there. I know she wants to promote her own shows and she kind of fights for fun. I do it for fun as well, but I'm also an extremely competitive person. I want to be ranked number 1 some day; that's my goal. So whoever they put in front of me, I have to take out to get one step closer to my goal and achieving that.
PC: I know Kim doesn't play up to the "I'm Randy's wife" buzz, but it's tough to ignore. Do you think the pressure is on her because of who she is?
MT: Yeah, definitely! I don't view her any differently as I would anyone else. I think she has a lot to live up to as far as the fans go. Its like, "Oh, she's Randy Couture's wife; she should be good!" She's got that extra weight on her shoulders to where I'm just me, you know?
PC: How important was it for Strikeforce to kind of pick up where Elite XC left off as far as giving females a home to fight?
MT: I think it was extremely important because we really didn't have anywhere to go mainstream. Strikeforce has a monopoly on female MMA at this point and I'm just happy to be a part of that. I'm happy they wanted me and that we could work together because it's pretty bad for women in the sport right now.
PC: You haven't lost since your 2007 fight against Kaitlin Young. What did you change or what did you learn from that fight to have the success you've had since that fight?
MT: A little of both. I'm a completely different fighter than I was then. Back then, I was pretty much just a wrestler. I knew a little bit of MMA, but for the most part, just a wrestler. Now I'm a fighter with a wrestling background. I learned to be more aggressive and get more serious about the sport. I learned to dictate the pace and to be in good shape so that I can dictate the pace. It also taught me that cutting too much weight has backlash. I cut about 20 pounds for that and that was exhausting. Kind of off topic and I don't talk about it a lot, but I fought Jan Finney, who was my debut pro fight, so I was a little apprehensive there and we actually had to go into an overtime round because the judges couldn't decide who won after 3 rounds. So I had fought 4 rounds and then I had about 20 minutes in between to fight Kaitlin. Jan Finney had landed about 3 solid leg kicks on me and that damaged my shot leg so when I went in to fight Kaitlin, I was tired and a little banged up. I'm not taking anything away from Kaitlin; she is a phenomenal fighter with sharp Muay Thai, but she is somebody I would like to rematch when the odds are more even.
PC: I was at your second to last fight against Dora Baptiste and she is built very similar to Kim Couture. How much does that help preparation for this fight?
MT: Yeah, Dora had a similar build. She was taller and lanky and she had, I'm sure, a similar gameplan. She wanted to stand. She comes from a boxing background. It was really easy for me to get in on her, close the distance and take her down. It took no time at all and I didn't take any damage so, I don't know, I guess if I want to do the same thing, it's not going to be an issue for me I don't think. I think long, lanky people are almost easier to take down.
PC: Your last 4 wins have come by knockout or submission. Couture has proven to be very tough. Do you think you could finish her?
MT: Yeah! I see myself finishing the fight. I don't see it going to a decision at all. I'm definitely going in to finish it and I think I'm just as tough as her. My very first amateur fight, I lost. I got caught with a knee to the face and she broke my nose. I mean smashed my nose and that was half way through the 2nd round and I kept going and by the end of that round, I was in a winning position. I have that same grit and I really like that about Kim. I really do. But I don't think that's going to be enough for her to win the fight.
PC: Your boyfriend is a fighter as well. Does that make your job easier because you're with someone that can relate to cutting weight and giving you your space when you're preparing for a fight?
MT: Yeah, it definitely helps. I can't see myself dating someone that is not a fighter because we can identify with each other in so many ways; things that non-fighting people would not understand. We've been together over 2 years now and we've cut weight together, fought together, rolled together, bled together and we sweat together. We do everything together as far as our training goes. It's created a strong bond and we're really there for each other. It's worked out really well.
PC: Good luck on the 15th. Is there anything you want to say to close out the interview? Anybody you want to thank?
MT: I have to thank God for giving me the ability to do this. I want to thank my team, Victory Athletics, Brian, my boyfriend, for being a good support. I have to thank my family because they're all traveling down to California to watch me fight. They have been a really big support and everything. I have probably at least 30 people coming down from Washington to California to support me in this fight because they know this is a really big one for me in my career. I want to thank my sponsors: Hit Em Up, Tussle Fight Wear, Caged Steel, Fight Chix, Henchmen, Fight University and Cage Candy!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]