(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) The first time Miesha Tate fought Ronda Rousey , a technical mistake got her caught in the champ’s famed armbar. But it was an emotional mistake that led her there. “Ronda said some things that really got under my skin,” Tate tells USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie. “She plays the mental warfare game. I didn’t want to fight her because I love fighting; I wanted to fight her because I wanted to beat her up.” Rousey, who in March 2012 took Tate’s Strikeforce title before assuming the UFC belt, hasn’t toned it down leading up to their rematch Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 168 (10 p.m. ET, pay-per-view)
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Why UFC 168’s Miesha Tate is actually ‘really thankful’ for rival Ronda Rousey – MMA Junkie