Tate hoping for eventual rematch after losing title to Nunes

Miesha Tate was unsuccessful in her first opportunity to defend the women's bantamweight title Saturday, tapping out in the opening round of her UFC 200 main-event fight with Amanda Nunes.

Speaking on the disappointing result during the press conference that followed, Tate both praised Nunes and indicated that she hopes for a rematch down the road.

"This is what I've been telling everybody is that Amanda is very worthy to be here," Tate said, via Chuck Mindenhall of MMAFighting.com. "She's very dangerous, particularly in that first round. And maybe if we get a chance to do it again it can be different. But tonight it is what it is. It's not about me tonight, it's about Amanda. She did what she came to do and I have the utmost respect for her, and I just hope that some day I get a chance to fight her again. If she would give me that opportunity I would be grateful."

Tate becomes the second consecutive bantamweight champion to drop their first fight after earning the belt, as she had come away with the title in the bout that followed Holly Holm's shocking upset of Ronda Rousey.

In attempting to explain what happened against Nunes, Tate conceded that she got caught against her opponent's aggressive approach early on.

"It's a long road, but I think that's kind of my personality, I'm kind of a juggernaut when it comes to this sport," Tate said. "One fight doesn't make or break me. I'm obviously disappointed with what I did tonight. I know Amanda was a fast starter, and I played with fire a little bit too much. But you know, she caught me, and I wasn't able to recover. And I was hoping to drag this fight to a little bit later."

The loss, Tate's first in her last six fights, drops her career MMA record to 18-6. Nunes, meanwhile, moves to a 13-4 mark that includes six wins and just one loss in the UFC.