Updated Sep 15, 2015 at 1:49p ET
Just over three weeks ago, Miesha Tate was already mentally preparing for a third fight against Ronda Rousey when the bottom fell out from under her as the UFC announced that Holly Holm would get the next title shot instead.
Tate was declared the No. 1 contender after she beat Jessica Eye at FOX UFC Fight Night in Chicago in July. After Rousey's win in early August, the matchup seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Despite an earlier declaration from UFC president Dana White that she would receive the next title shot, Tate woke up just a month removed from her fourth win in a row to find out that she got passed over and Holm was going to face Rousey in November at UFC 193.
"Well, I found out later than half the world even because I was asleep when it was announced. I woke up to about 30 texts on my phone saying, 'Oh, I'm really sorry' and I was just like, 'What?' It just kind of sucked not finding out from the promotion itself, so I felt a little bit disappointed," Tate said during the Invicta FC broadcast on UFC Fight Pass over the weekend. "My feelings were kind of hurt, to be honest. I was really bummed out because I was really motivated."
To make matters worse, Tate was in the midst of filming a movie where Holm was one of her co-stars on the shoot so it obviously served as a constant reminder of the opportunity she wasn't granted.
Tate believes that she finally put together the right team to get her ready to not only give Rousey her most competitive fight, but to topple the seemingly untouchable women's bantamweight champion and knock her off her undefeated perch.
"I really felt like I had hit a new level. I was training for her already. I didn't even take any time off after my fight and it just really kind of shot me in the heart," Tate said. "Damn, I thought that was what I was going to get.
"The world thought that was what I was going to get. It was a pretty heartbreaking process for me so I'm not exactly sure what's next."
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- Conor McGregor TKO's Chad Mendes, wins interim featherweight gold
- Robbie Lawler defends championship in title fight classic at UFC 189
Following the announcement that Rousey was going to face Holm later this year, White expressed his interest in booking Tate in a fight against fellow top-five ranked bantamweight Amanda Nunes instead.
Rumors swirled for the past couple of weeks about a Tate vs. Nunes pairing, but according to the former Strikeforce champion there's nothing set in stone for her next fight.
Tate says she's kind of buried her head in the sand recently just to avoid the storm of controversy after she was passed over for the title shot and she hasn't settled back into her routine again to find out what awaits her when she returns to the Octagon.
"I've heard a lot of things bouncing around. I was on vacation to the Bahamas and said, 'I just need to put the world away for a minute.' I kind of put everything on silent," Tate said. "I got back and I've been focused on Cindy (Dandois). As far as what's next I really don't know. I've got to get home and take a deep breath and talk to my management and coaches."
Tate quickly shot down the Nunes fight, at least based on information that's currently been released, because she hasn't agreed to anything after she didn't land the Rousey matchup.
"No definitely not," Tate said when asked about signing to face Nunes. "I haven't talked to the UFC or my coaches or my management about it so it's always a team decision."
For now, Tate will get back into training at her home camp in Las Vegas while she awaits official word on her next fight. Nunes still hasn't been booked so there's a chance that fight could still come together, but as time ticks away it's hard to say if the matchup will still happen later this year … or at all.
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