Miesha Tate sees both sides of the controversy over the UFC womens featherweight title.

Inaugural 145-pound champ Germaine de Randamie balked at defending her belt against former Strikeforce and Invicta champ Cris Cyborg, so de Randamie was stripped of the belt by the UFC before she ever made her first title defense.

That means the Holland native will sit on the sidelines for the biggest UFC card so far in 2017, UFC 214, where Cyborg will meet Invicta bantamweight champ Tonya Evinger as part of a title-fight triple bill in Anaheim on July 29.

Appearing on Mondays edition of The MMA Hour, Tate, the retired former UFC womens bantamweight champ, says that if it was her call, shed absolutely step in the cage with Cyborg.

I mean, what do you really have to lose when you fight someone like Cyborg, of her stature? Tate asked. If you beat Cyborg, youre on another level of respect. And if you lose, its like, well so has everybody. So, my opinion of it is, as a fighter, just from a fighter standpoint I think it would be an awesome thing to be able to fight Cyborg.

But of course, conversations about Cyborg come with an asterisk. There was the steroids suspension following a December 2011 fight in San Diego, and the most recent controversy, where Cyborg was provisionally suspended before being granted a retroactive exemption for a banned substance. And if de Randamie doesnt want to fight someone with that sort of history, Tate doesnt feel its her place to judge.

I do respect and understand what Germaine is saying, Tate said. And I dont think shes scared of Cyborg. Shes a fighter. Shes been kickboxing forever. Shes one of the baddest women on the planet.

[De Randamies] point shes trying to make is, she doesnt believe its fair, Tate later added, and that, I cannot disagree. I dont disagree with what shes saying.

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Miesha Tate sees both sides of Cris Cyborg-Germaine de Randamie controversy - MMA Fighting