Miesha Tate calls Ronda Rousey’s suicidal thoughts ‘a big sign of mental weakness’

Miesha Tate said weeks ago that she sympathized with Ronda Rousey, who has admitted to having had suicidal thoughts after losing a match and her UFC bantamweight title to Holly Holm in November.

So you might want to keep that mind when you read Tate’s response after Sports Illustrated’s Maggie Gray recently asked her about the same topic.

“I thought that was unfortunate to feel that low about something, [but] I kind of saw it as a chink in the armor though, honestly,” said Tate, who now holds the bantamweight title after beating Holm earlier this month.

“I’m always looking at her from an opponent perspective and I thought that was a big sign of mental weakness to be honest.”

Tate is 0-2 against longtime rival Rousey, including a a loss by third-round submission in a title bout at UFC 168. UFC president Dana White has said Tate will get a third shot at Rousey, after Rousey’s current hiatus from fighting to concentrate on a movie career.

“I’ve been down and out in this sport -- obviously I lost my [UFC] match fight to Ronda, that was really, really hard for me,” Tate said.

“But my mindset is to get back in the gym and get better, get stronger and learn from it and come back, and now here I am with a world title.”

So, Tate said, Rousey’s admission “kind of makes me wonder what kind of fighter will return when Ronda, if Ronda does return.”