Miesha Tate undecided on fighting future, reveals previously undisclosed injury

Miesha Tate hasn’t made a decision on whether or not she’ll return to the UFC octagon.

The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion competed at UFC Des Moines earlier this month and was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Yana Santos. “Cupcake” returned from a 17-month layoff following a submission win over Julia Avila at UFC Austin in December 2023.

Tate revealed in an Instagram video that she suffered a horribly painful injury she suffered in the win.

“I had my hooks in on her back, one of which was a bit shallow, and I really went to be very aggressive to try to force her from back to belly, belly down, and I ripped two if my ligaments and I had to have reconstructive surgery,” Tate explained. “It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It was harder than coming back after having my two kids, and I, at multiple points, bawled my eyes out and thought I would never be able to fight again — which I really wanted to have that fight.

“And after an 18-month layoff, [and] the biggest injury of my career, I can honestly say that I am happy with this performance, and I am happy, even in a loss.”

Tate announced her retirement at UFC 205 in November 2016 following a lopsided decision loss to Raquel Pennington. The 38-year-old returned just under five years later, and has gone 2-3, including a win over Marion Reneau in her comeback fight in July 2021.

As of now, Tate hasn’t made a decision if her loss to Santos was her final fight.

“I am not making any final decisions,” Tate said. “[It] remains to be seen whether I will fight again or not. I’m not going to clarify either of those because I think there is no right or wrong answer.”