The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion was hiking at Mary Jane Falls, a trail near Las Vegas, when she came upon a 6-year-old girl named Kai who had broken her arm near the top of the mountain. While the parents were struggling to carry their daughter, Tate arrived and put on her figurative superhero cape.
“The mother asked her 6 year old daughter ‘would you rather have me or her carry you down’ without hesitation [to my surprise] she quickly replied, ‘I want HER to carry me.’ We had to laugh,” Tate said. “I preceded to carry the sweet little thing all the way to the bottom. Kai and I learned a lot about each other on the roughly 2 mile descent and It's fair to say she inspired me. We made it all the way down without slipping or falling! We agreed we would both be strong for each other! Team work at its best!”
“To our rescue and assistance came the amazing [Miesha Tate], the UFC fighter,” wrote Andrew Abalos on Instagram. “She offered to help us carry her down the mountain. Such an amazing and humble person to have met. Our family can’t thank you enough for all the help. You saved us easily hours of hiking and helped us get to the hospital sooner.”
Tate later passed along a thank you video via Instagram she received from Kai:
“Tear jerker! Meet Kai the sweet little girl that kept me company down the mountain side, very upbeat despite her broken arm. And I just have to say this was one of the most rewarding days of my athletic career. And I also want to make a point that I have been told many times that I am ‘too buff’ or ‘manly’ that I should stop lifting weights, that it's "gross" and not attractive for a woman,” Tate wrote. “I am so happy I never listened to the limitations others wanted to put on me and I hope that our youth knows that don't have to conform. That strength and beauty come from within!”
Tate captured the bantamweight title with a fifth-round submission of Holly Holm at UFC 196 in March. However, she relinquished the belt to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200, tapping to a rear-naked choke 3:16 into the opening stanza of their bout. “Cupcake,” who broke her nose against Nunes, currently does not have her next fight booked.