Nunes: That day [UFC 200] will be mine
Amanda Nunes was the unlikely choice to be Miesha Tate’s first title defense, but now that she has been given the shot, she is ready to take the title.
Amanda Nunes was the unlikely choice to be Miesha Tate’s first title defense, but now that she has been given the shot, she is ready to take the title:
Miesha is an excellent wrestler, who is always looking for the takedowns, and you are known for knockout power. How do your fighting styles combine?
I come from a grappling background, but learned striking very quickly. I ended up missing out on the ground because I exploded on striking, but when it got to the ground, I was tired and could not develop my game. I am a black belt in jiu-jitsu and been training in grappling for my whole life, but was unable to show it because I kept burning my gas early in the fights. Now is a different stage of my life. I learned to focus my conditioning, and now I know what I can do and what’s the right time to do it. I submitted McMann, who is a grappler that won the silver medal in the Olympics as a wrestler.
How do you see the fight going?
I’m going up there and I’ll fight for that belt, which is what I wanted most. Underdog or not, that day will be mine. What matters is that belt around my waist. It could be any card, anywhere – what I most want is the belt.