Andrew Tate returned to combat sports on Saturday night for the first time in nearly 15 years and immediately remembered what fear feels like. The former four-time kickboxing world champion. Now 40 and years removed from elite competition, was beaten and bloodied in his Misfits Boxing debut. Losing a majority decision to reality TV personality Chase DeMoor. Tate looked exhausted after three rounds and was ultimately outworked by the younger, larger DeMoor.
But instead of disappearing after the defeat, Tate showed up to the post-fight press conference and delivered one of the night’s most emotional moments. According to Tate, the very thing that pushed him into the ring was the same thing that made him uncomfortable stepping into it at all: fear.
“The second I felt afraid, I knew I had to fight.”
Tate told reporters, including Bloody Elbow, that he only agreed to the bout because he felt a sensation he hadn’t felt in years genuine anxiety about facing DeMoor. “I felt a tinge of fear for the first time in my life and that’s when I knew that I had to fight,” Tate said. “The second I felt afraid, I knew I had to fight. I can’t live doubting myself; seeds of doubt grow into forests of inaction and I don’t want that.”
He admitted that Misfits Boxing founder Mams Taylor questioned why he would step into the ring at his age, fresh out of jail, and with numerous legal and personal issues still unfolding.
But Tate said that was exactly the point: “I’m not afraid to lose. I’m afraid to not try.”
Tate: “If Chase and I fought again tomorrow, I’d go again.”
Despite being battered and beaten after years away from competition, Tate insisted the loss did not shake his confidence. “If Chase and I had to fight tomorrow, I’d 100 percent go again tomorrow,” he said. “Even though I know he just beat me, that’s who I am.”
To Tate, the outcome mattered less than the act of stepping into the ring once fear made him hesitate a mindset he says has guided him throughout his life.
A Hard Return After 15 Years Away
Both Andrew and his brother Tristan Tate built their reputations through years in kickboxing, but neither had fought professionally at a high level in more than a decade. That layoff showed:
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Tate struggled after the opening round
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He slowed dramatically as fatigue set in
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DeMoor capitalized on size, youth, and activity
The damage was visible on Tate’s face but he seemed more bothered by the idea of not fighting than by losing itself.
What’s Next for Andrew Tate?
Tate didn’t announce any future fight plans, but his comments suggest he isn’t ruling out another bout. Whether Misfits or another promotion brings him back remains unclear, but he made one thing certain: Fear won’t stop him it will motivate him.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
