Strikeforce Champ Miesha Tate to Defend Her Title Against Ronda Rousey

Strikeforce 135-pound women's champion, Miesha Tate, will return to action and defend her belt against the undefeated Ronda Rousey.

The pair is slated to lock horns on March 3, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Tate has been out of action since she took the belt from Marloes Coenen in July. For the last month, it was unclear whether she would face former title holder Sarah Kaufman, (who defeated Tate in 2009) or take on the fast-rising Rousey. 

Following her latest win over Julia Budd, Rousey called out Tate inside the Strikeforce cage. Tate followed with an interview stating that Rousey hasn't earned a title shot, which led to a heated exchange on Twitter. With news of the title tilt, it appears that Rousey's efforts have paid off.

Rousey is 4-0 as a professional (and was 3-0 as an amateur). The former Olympic Judoka has ended all of her bouts with first-round, first-minute armbar submissions. The bout with Tate will be Rousey's first appearance in the 135-pound weight class.

Entering the bout, Tate is riding a six-fight winning streak, including wins over Coenen, Hitomi Akano and Bellator champ Zoila Gurgel. Three of those wins have come by submission.

Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com.  For anything related to MMA, Follow @RobTatumMMA.