Former UFC world champion Miesha Tate on her bloody road to MMA supremacy
- ‘I was on my knees and elbows, watching a steady stream of blood come out of my nose’, says American MMA fighter turned ONE Championship vice-president
Dirty knees I was born in 1986, in Tacoma, Washington. My mum was a single mother and it was difficult for her financially for the first years of my life. My father who raised me came into my life when I was about three. I was seven when my brother was born and my sister arrived when I was 15.
We lived in a house handed down from my grandmother. It had five acres of land and apple trees, but it was rundown and my parents struggled to maintain it. I was a very outdoorsy girl, I always had dirty knees and elbows, and twigs in my hair because I’d just climbed a tree.
Taking on the boys The only winter sport my high school offered girls was basketball. I was no good at it. When I was 15, my best friend and I signed up for the wrestling team, we were the only females. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done. The boys didn’t want girls on the team, so they made it as hard as they could to get us to quit. I was covered in bruises and mat burns, and my confidence took a hit.
Being pushed down and beaten is not something women are raised to be conditioned in. I was out of my element, but I realised I was stronger than I thought. A fire had been lit in me and I was determined to prove I could be good at this. Six weeks into the first season was a turning point – the boys started to realise I wasn’t going to quit, that I was ready to work as hard as everyone else. I stuck at it and eventually they welcomed me onto the team. In 2004, at the end of my senior year, I was awarded the Coach’s Award for outstanding athlete.
Complacency is the death of us. I enjoy pushing myself. What’s the worst that can happen? I fail. And that’s OK because failure has taught me more than any success
Try outs I went to Central Washington University. A female friend introduced me to the mixed martial arts (MMA) programme. I was reluctant, but I’m so glad she persuaded me. I quickly took to jiu-jitsu, with its submission holds, chokes and leveraging, and was invited to my first live MMA event. I was totally inspired – the athletes were so raw, so pure, it was an amazing display of heart, determination and willpower.