Miesha Tate breaks down Cyborg vs. Spencer fight: ‘I don’t see how she wins this’

It was recently announced that UFC 240 will be co-headlined by a featherweight showdown between former UFC champ Cris Cyborg and former Invicta champ Felicia Spencer. Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate admires Spencer for taking this fight, but just doesn’t see how she can win it.

Am I wrong?? https://t.co/fUdxV3LZK8

— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) May 30, 2019

“I admire Felicia’s tenacity, you know, her ambition,” Miesha Tate said on MMA on SiriusXM (transcript via MMA Mania). “I don’t see how she wins this. Prove me wrong! You know, I hate to be overcritical of fighters, being a fighter myself, right, it can be very offensive and I think the fighters are sensitive that way. But if I may speak frankly here, I just don’t think she’s ready for this right now. However, she is in the 145 pound division, she is a former Invicta champion.

“We talked about the lack of depth at 145. Felicia Spencer did dispatch of Megan Anderson, but I don’t think Megan Anderson is that good. I think she fights at 145, and people are all on her train because of her physique — she is tall, like a gazelle, long and lanky and seems like she would be somewhat difficult to deal with, but when you break down her technical aspects, she’s really not that good on the ground and she can’t keep people from grabbing her, so she just doesn’t have a great style to really make waves in the 145 pound division.

“Against Cyborg, though, who has some serious experience, and who is going to be more motivated than ever, if I can say anything about Cyborg getting a loss, I think she is going to be looking to make a statement why she deserves that rematch,” Miesha Tate concluded. “She is pissed that she’s not getting that rematch, so she’s going to take that out on Felicia Spencer. Who else is there at 145? Who else is there at 145? Really, nobody. So I guess this is the fight to make. Be careful what you wish for. If Felicia proves me wrong, I will happily eat my words right now, saying that I just don’t think this is a good matchup for her.”

What do you think of this analysis from Miesha Tate?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/30/2019.