In 2013, UFC fighter Miesha Tate posed nude for ESPN The Magazine’s annual Body Issue, joining a lineup of athletes featured to celebrate the diversity and strength of athletic bodies. Tate’s participation was motivated by a desire to challenge stereotypes about women in combat sports and to show that being a fighter and being feminine are not mutually exclusive.
Miesha Tate Poses Nude for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue
Miesha Tate explained her decision to pose naked, stating, “I want to show that you can be a cage fighter and still be feminine. I hate the stereotype that women who fight are ‘butch’ or ‘wannabe men.’ It’s nice to be able to embrace being a beautiful, strong woman.”
Miesha Tate’s Next Fight: Tate vs. Santos at UFC Fight Night
Miesha Tate is scheduled to return to the octagon on May 3, 2025, where she will face Yana Santos at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo, held at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The bout marks Tate’s continued campaign in the bantamweight division following her submission victory over Julia Avila in December 2023. The event will be streamed live on ESPN+ and represents one of the featured matchups on a card that brings the UFC back to Iowa for the first time in 25 years.
Miesha Tate, on being nude, emphasized that her athleticism does not come at the expense of her femininity, saying, “I like that I’m in shape but still look like a woman. I don’t feel like I’ve had to give up my femininity to be an athlete. I feel good about my body because I work hard every day, and I still look and carry myself as a woman — a strong woman.”
The ESPN Body Issue: Purpose and Impact
The Body Issue, launched by ESPN in 2009, was created to showcase athletes’ physiques in a way that highlights both their power and vulnerability, with nude and semi-nude photographs taken in an artistic manner. The magazine aimed to rival the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, but with a focus on athletic achievement and the realities of sports on the human body.
Miesha Tate Nude: Empowerment, Confidence, and Public Perception
Tate acknowledged that posing nude was a way to embrace empowerment and self-confidence, but she also noted her boundaries. “It’s not my goal to go out there and say, ‘Hey, I’m sexy, look at me, I can fight,’” she said. “I’ve always been feminine. I’ve always been proud of being a strong and empowered woman, and I don’t see anything wrong with embracing that. It just has to be tastefully done.”
She also addressed the pressures and scrutiny that come with being in the public eye, including comments about her appearance. Tate shared, “People have brought to my attention that I have an ugly nose. It’s been broken twice… Sometimes I feel self-conscious about it or would like to change it, but I have to overcome that and embrace it. ‘Hey, it’s my nose, it’s who I am and what makes me different.’ It’s just one of those things — no one is perfect.”
