Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is currently undecided about whether she will compete inside the octagon again.
Tate recently participated in a bout at UFC Des Moines earlier this month, where she was defeated by unanimous decision by Yana Santos. This appearance marked her return after a layoff of 17 months, which followed a submission win over Julia Avila.
In a video shared via Instagram, Tate revealed that she sustained a severely painful injury during her preceding fight (the win over Avila).
She elaborated on the injury, explaining that while positioning her hooks from Avila`s back, one hook wasn`t fully secured as she aggressively attempted to transition her opponent to a belly-down position. This action led to her tearing two ligaments, necessitating reconstructive surgery. Tate described the recovery process as the most challenging experience of her life, surpassing even returning after having her children. She confessed that at various points, she became emotional and believed she might never be able to fight again, despite her strong desire to do so.
Reflecting on her performance against Santos after an “18-month layoff” (as stated in the source, a slight variation from the earlier 17 months) and her career`s most significant injury, Tate stated she was content with how she performed, even in defeat.
Tate initially announced her retirement from the sport at UFC 205 in November 2016, following a decisive loss to Raquel Pennington. She made her comeback nearly five years later in July 2021. Since returning, her record stands at 2 wins and 3 losses, including a win over Marion Reneau in her first fight back.
As of now, Tate has not made a definitive decision regarding whether her recent loss to Santos will be her final fight.
“I am not making any final decisions,” Tate was quoted saying. She added that 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.”
Marcus Blakely