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Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Meisha Tate was challenged by former UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg to a grappling match - a challenge the American accepted.
Cyborg beat Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 249 on October to retain her Featherweight gold in her current promotion.
Tate accepted that challenge on SirusXM:
"Hey you know what, I accept. I would like to do it. Cris has been somebody that I kind of wish that I could have fought in my fighting career, it didn’t happen and the next best thing would be a grappling match.
"Look I just had a baby four months ago, so I have a lot of work to do to get back into top competitive, competition type of shape. But I’m in the gym, I’m working, I’ve begun grappling. I’ve grappled I think four times since moving back from Singapore and all that, so I will get slowly but surely. Hopefully it’s something that we can happen. If she wants to do it, I want to do it.
"Ideally, I’d like to say for sure a year post-partum from having the baby, so that would mean another 8 months, that I would be in pretty good shape. To be honest, I don’t know the details of every (grappling) promotion’s rule-sets, but I like the ones that encourage you to be able to scramble and not have to worry about points so much.
"So I think Submission Underground. I did that one with Jessica Eye and I liked that ruleset.
To which Cyborg replied:
Miesha Tate could take on Cris Cyborg at Submission Underground
Cris Cyborg is undoubtedly one of the most decorated and dominant fighters on the planet. The current Bellator champion has also held belts in Strikeforce, Invicta and the UFC.
There is not a lot to prove for the 35-year-old at this point in her career especially with the accolades under her name.
However, a grappling match with Tate will be interesting as Cyborg likes to strike in most of her MMA fights and the American is a wrestler.
