UFC 200 Is the End of a Long Road to Cashing in for Miesha Tate

Back when nobody cared, Miesha Tate was a champion.

When women's combat was almost as far underground as MMA itself, Tate was renowned for her grit and tenacity, her grappling chops and her willingness to exchange haymakers despite some sloppiness and shortcomings.

More than one woman fell prey to Tate's will in the days of Bodog Fight, FCF and Strikeforce, though the latter was the only one fans might remember with any fondness. Tate was a pioneer at a time when women's MMA had elevated only slightly above the backroom smokers of decades past, jumping from college into a sport with a dubious future and largely excelling.

However, it was the calls of a then-unknown Ronda Rousey that made Tate famous in 2011, with Rousey announcing she'd drop from 145 pounds to 135 for a chance at Tate's bantamweight title—a belt freshly throttled away from famed ladies pugilist Marloes Coenen in a wild scrap. More people in MMA knew Tate then—if one can believe such blasphemy at a time when Ronda Inc. has ballooned into a full-blown media conglomerate—and many felt she'd handle an inexperienced judoka with ease.

That proved to be a miscalculation when Rousey torqued Tate's arm in the wrong direction late in the first round of their 2012 bout, taking home a Strikeforce belt she never relinquished and leaving Tate with a sour taste in her mouth that lasted—nay, continues to last—for years.

Some time passed, and Tate went from also-ran to title challenger to also-ran again, then to UFC champion. It was a path reflective of Tate's signature moxie. She's never down and never out, always willing to bite down on her mouthpiece and come forward one more time, no matter the odds. Of every athlete in MMA, there's an argument to be made that it's Tate who is closest to embodying the idea that one would have to kill her to beat her. She is as pugnacious and durable as anyone sucking air.

That paid off earlier this year when, in typical Tate fashion, she ground her way to a title shot by overcoming a number of tall tasks. She then lost four-plus rounds to Holly Holm before she relentlessly dragged her to the ground and strangled her in the dying seconds of a winning effort to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It was poetic to see Tate—belt strapped around her waist after vanquishing the woman who vanquished Rousey so memorably—the product of her own character and determination.

And now, after traversing one of the longer, bumpier roads to get her name on the marquee of UFC 200, the end becomes the beginning. Saturday night will mark the biggest cash-in of Tate's UFC career. She'll fight as a champion on the biggest card in the history of the promotion and rake in the coin that accompanies such an honor.

If she's successful, you can bet Rousey won't be too far in the distance, swaggering back to MMA with an eye on reclaiming her title by besting Tate a third time. The purse for that bout would be astronomical as well, particularly if the fight were signed in time for the UFC's debut in New York City this fall. Even if Rousey is still wobbled with the vertigo of her blistering fall from grace and can't make the walk, a rematch between Tate and Holm would be big business too and would surely provide a major payoff for the champion.

But regardless of how the months ahead play out, Tate has climbed the mountain after years of paying her dues. Amanda Nunes is a stout test, a tough competitor and a worthy challenger for such a big event, but there is no denying the star power Tate has accumulated.

It's a welcome happening in the eyes of those who were watching in the days of three-minute rounds and one-night tournaments—the apex of a journey no one could have predicted at the outset.

Follow Matthew on Twitter @matthewjryder.