Miesha Tate makes her pick for the GOAT of women’s MMA

Who is the greatest female MMA fighter of all time? In the eyes of former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, who is one of the most accomplished female fighters ever herself, that’s “an easy pick” to make.

In Tate’s eyes, there’s no question that the GOAT of women’s MMA is reigning UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes.

“For me, it’s been Amanda Nunes,” Tate told MMA Junkie. “She’s just on another level. She’s super legitimate. She hits like a ton of bricks. And it’s just incredible what she’s been able to do with the bantamweight division and what she’s done dipping her toes in the featherweight division. Really, the way she took out Cyborg was so mind-blowing. It was very impressive.

“I think for me that would be an easy pick.”

Tate, of course, is well acquainted with Nunes. The pair fought at UFC 200 in July of 2016, with Tate’s bantamweight title on the line. In this fight, Nunes put forth a dominant performance, smashing Tate with punches and ultimately submitting her in the first round.

Since then, Nunes has defended the title against Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, Raquel Penning, and most recently Holly Holm. She also moved up to the featherweight division, where she knocked out Cris Cyborg — who had not lost in over a decade — to add a second UFC belt to her mantle.

Given that Tate, Rousey, Shevchenko, Cyborg and Holm are all frequently mentioned amongst the greatest female fighters ever, it should come as no surprise that Nunes, who has beaten all of them, is widely viewed as the best of greatest of all.

Nunes will return to the cage this Saturday at UFC 245 in Las Vegas, where she’ll look to defend her bantamweight belt against former featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie.

Tate is currently retired from competition, and is working as an executive and commentator for ONE Championship in Singapore.

Do you agree with Miesha Tate on this one? Is Amanda Nunes the GOAT?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/10/2019.