Miesha Tate has yet to decide whether she’ll make the walk to the UFC Octagon again.
The former UFC bantamweight champion (20-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) recently returned after nearly a year and a half on the sidelines to face Yana Santos at UFC Des Moines. “Cupcake” came up short on the judges’ scorecards, marking her third loss in her last four fights.
Prior to the bout in Des Moines, her most recent appearance was in December 2023, when she earned a submission victory—and a Performance of the Night bonus—against Julia Avila. It was during that fight that Tate sustained the injury that led to her extended absence.
"I had my hooks in on her back, one of which was a bit shallow, and I really went to be very aggressive and 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 said in an Instagram post. "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 off of an 18-month layoff, 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."
Miesha Tate made her professional debut back in 2007. She went on to capture the Strikeforce bantamweight title before joining the UFC when the two organizations merged in 2013.
Her UFC career got off to a rocky start, with losses to Cat Zingano and Ronda Rousey in her first two appearances. However, Tate rebounded with a five-fight win streak, ultimately submitting Holly Holm in 2016 to claim the UFC bantamweight championship.
While she’s not ready to officially announce her retirement, Tate admits that her recent bout against Yana Santos may very well have been her final appearance inside the Octagon.
"I am not making any final decisions," Tate said. "Remains to be seen whether I will fight again or not. I'm not going to clarify either one of those because I think there is no right or wrong answer."
