Miesha Tate: 'I don't expect to win every second of this fight, but I do expect to get a finish'

LAS VEGAS – As Miesha Tate 2.0 continues her career comeback, she knows that it’s not just important for her to rack up victories but to do so impressively.

Tate (19-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) takes on Ketlen Vieira (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 198 event at the UFC Apex, and “Cupcake” knows to take another step toward her dream of regaining the UFC women’s bantamweight title, she needs emphatic wins.

“I really want to get a finish,” Tate told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “I know every fight, people will say they want to finish, and that’s true. You want to finish every fight. But I feel like it’s really imperative this fight, because that’s what will put me in title talks, right?

“It’s not that I won’t be happy if I got a decision win. Of course, a win is a win. But I really want that finish – like, really want that because I want to be talked about being in as the No. 1 contender.”

Tate returned from a five-year layoff earlier this year, scoring a third-round submission win over a gritty Marion Reneau. The victory saw Tate re-enter the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s bantamweight rankings at No. 10 in her first fight back from retirement. Meanwhile, Vieira currently sits at No. 9.

Tate believes that matchup is a perfect opportunity for her to prove wrong any remaining critics who think she may be a step behind in her return from retirement.

“People want to say, ‘Oh, you know, I think the division has passed her by,'” Tate said. “Well, Ketlen is the one to answer those questions. She is the new blood in this division. She is the one that they’re talking about being a contender, and it’s exciting for me to have a style matchup like this, too, because Ketlen is somebody who will fight, who will engage.

“She’s not elusive. You know, she’ll stand right there in the middle with you and throw, and I like that. Everybody knows I like that kind of a fight. It’s my favorite because it brings out the very best in me when somebody is willing to engage with me.”

Should it prove that type of battle, a Tate victory would certainly help her to continue climbing the ranks and move toward her ultimate goal of being a champion once again. Another fight or two would likely be necessary to get a title shot, but Tate believes Vieira will provide the perfect test to allow her to make a statement.

“She can do it all,” Tate said of Vieira. “She spends a good amount of time every fight on the feet. I know she’s comfortable there, but she does look to get this to the ground. I mean, let’s be honest, she’s primarily a grappler. But when I look at her grappling anyways, I can’t say that I’ve really seen anything that was like, ‘Oh, wow. Oh, wow, she’s slick. She’s really good.’

“I mean, she’s a good fighter, but I honestly think that I’m better on the ground, and I think that my wrestling is going to be plenty sharp enough to deal with any of her judo.”

Tate will be able to answer those questions and more on Saturday. The key, of course, is not just winning – but also making the right statement.

“You know, fights don’t have to be perfect; they just have to be won,” Tate said. “That’s what I’m going to do. So I expect a fight. I expect a war. I don’t expect to win every second of this fight, but I do expect to get a finish.”

UFC Fight Night 198 streams live on ESPN+. To see the full interview with Tate, check out the video above.