LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 20: UFC women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate interacts with media during the UFC 200 press conference at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Miesha Tate Not Enthusiastic About ‘BMF’ Belt For UFC 244
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate, expressed her opposition to the newly proposed ‘BMF’ belt set to debut at UFC 244. The belt is up for grabs at the Madison Square Garden main event between fan-favorites Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal. Have a listen to the tweet yourself:
🔊 @MieshaTate likes the idea of the #Masvidal – #Diaz fight, but should it be for a belt? Miesha shares her concerns on the #BMF Belt with @RyanMcKinnell
👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️👊⬇️ pic.twitter.com/IWW2898vy2— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) September 12, 2019
On the MMA Tonight show on Sirius XM, Tate says the belt has historically been for the top athletes the sport has to offer, going out to the “baddest motherfucker.”
Tate says, “It really does marry that WWE feeling to the UFC in a way that’s never been done before.”
“If you start putting the belt around people who are not [the best], then what does the belt mean, exactly?” Tate continues.
Miesha Tate may have a point. Casual viewers of boxing are sometimes confused by the multitude of belts that fighters have. Many say it cheapens the belt and contributes to the politics that is rampant in boxing.
“I’m a huge fan of both I love watching [Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal] fight,” Tate says. “But to put a belt around one of them, I just think it’s a bit odd.”
BMF Belt = Most Violent Man Belt
”Belts” like these are nothing new. Fan titles have always been around the sport. Most recently, the “Most Violent Man” belt traded hands from Justin Gaethje to Eddie Alvarez you Dustin Poirier. But if an actual belt is made for UFC 244, the BMF belt will be the first that is not a champion or interim champion in the promotion’s history.
UFC 244 is on November 2nd as the BMF belt is on the line in the main event when Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal throw down. Be sure to stay up to date on all the news around UFC 244 with MMA Tonight on Sirius XM which airs Tuesday-Thursday at 6-8p ET.
