Former UFC champ Miesha Tate booked for long-awaited return against former title challenger

Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is back.

Miesha Tate announced her retirement from MMA after a lopsided defeat to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205. But after a five-year hiatus, Tate returned to the Octagon in July 2021, earning a third-round finish over Marion Reneau.

After Tate returned to the win column against Reneau, some speculated she would go on another potential run to the title towards a possible rematch with then-champion Amanda Nunes. But four fights into her UFC comeback, Tate’s fighting activity has remained sluggish, including a one-off flyweight attempt.

The Pacific Northwest native Tate was expected to potentially return to the Octagon this weekend at UFC Seattle. But after a potential booking didn’t come to fruition, Tate has a date booked for her next fight and her return to the bantamweight division.

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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesMiesha Tate booked for UFC comeback after a 17-month absenceAs announced by Tate on her social media accounts, the former titleholder will face Yana Santos at a UFC Fight Night event on May 3rd. The location for the card is rumored to be Des Moines, Iowa, although nothing has been made official as of this writing.

Tate’s return to bantamweight comes 17 months after her last fight at UFC Austin in Dec. 2023. She defeated Julia Avila, who retired last weekend at UFC Vegas 102, by third-round submission.

The 38-year-old Tate suffered losses in four of her previous five fights before the win over Avila. A flyweight debut against Lauren Murphy in July 2022 didn’t turn out as Tate expected, as she lost by unanimous decision in a largely lopsided defeat.

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Miesha Tate returns amidst retirement speculation vs. Yana SantosTate is looking to return to the form that led to her earning the UFC bantamweight championship in come-from-behind fashion at UFC 196. She submitted Holly Holm with just under two minutes left in the fight after being outpointed on all three judges’ scorecards leading up to Round 5.

Before a five-fight winning streak was capped off by the win over Holm, Tate was known as Ronda Rousey‘s biggest rival in Strikeforce and the UFC. She lost twice to the UFC Hall of Famer, including a third-round submission defeat at UFC 168.

Tate was supposed to return against Mayra Bueno Silva in June 2023 before withdrawing due to injury.

Meanwhile, Santos returns to the cage after a win over Chelsea Chandler last August. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak.

Santos’ UFC debut came against then-UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg at UFC 222, losing by third-round knockout. Since then, Santos has earned recent wins over the likes of Ketlen Vieira and Julija Stoliarenko.

The main event for the May 3rd UFC card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, along with the full fight slate.

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