Miesha: I'm going to try and cut Rousey open

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey will fight in March at "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey"  in Columbus, Ohio, broadcast on Showtime. Tate talked with MMAJunkie.com about what may be a defining fight to women's MMA.

"I think what she's done has been impressive," Tate said. "However, I know she hasn't fought anybody of my caliber or my style. I really feel that she's highly, highly, highly underestimating my ability.

"Most of my opponents that I've fought haven't challenged me too much on the ground. I do believe she'll be a challenge. But my opponents also haven't pulled the most out of me. If she thinks that's all that I've got, she's sorely mistaken. And if she thinks I don't have knockout power or that my standup is so-so, she's mistaken again."

"Most of the people I've fought are strikers. When you strike to strike, it's different that when you strike to take someone down. When you strike to take someone down, usually you're coming forward. You're trying to close the distance so you can get it to the ground where that's your strongpoint.

"When you're striking to strike, you can develop a lot power because you're trying to stay at a certain range where your punches have the most power. I can do both. She better keep that pretty little chin tucked if she doesn't want to wake up with the lights in her eyes."

"I want to win this fight as much as I've ever wanted to win any fight. This is really important because it's my first title defense. That adds a little pressure. A lot of people say you're not the true champion until you've defended your belt. That's important.

"But beyond wanting to win, which I always want to win no matter what, what's different is I absolutely cannot stand the thought of losing to this girl because I do not like what she stands for. I don't like her attitude. That would be – I can't even fathom it. That's it. I will not accept it, and I will train as hard as it takes, I will put the right gameplan together, and I will go out there and execute it.

"I will win this fight. It's not the first time a lot of people thought I wasn't going to win a fight. Nobody thought I was going to submit Marloes Coenen. It just goes to show that I'm capable of things that people don't realize. I know it, and that's all that matters. I believe in myself more than probably anyone else does."

"My other fights, I've maintained a very calm and very focused demeanor, but I really don't want this fight to be calm. I want this fight to be explosive and powerful, and I want it to say a lot. I'm still several weeks out, and I'm just so amped for this fight to happen."

"She's probably the person I dislike the most out of anyone in my career I've had the opportunity to fight, and I think that adds an interesting element. I'm going to have a lot more passion, a lot more fire and a lot more just wanting to beat her ass. I really do. I want to go out there and punch her in the face. I want to elbow here. I'm going to try and cut her open if I can. I'm not just going out there to win this fight. I really want to hurt this girl."

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