Previous Bantamweight Apex Gives Update On Plans For Competition

Miesha Tate Was Once Among Best Women’s Bantamweights

Standing amongst the most tenured female fighters currently active in the UFC, Miesha Tate boasts a stellar resume, which she has built fighting the best of the best over the nearly the last 20 years. Beginning her tenure as a professional mixed martial artist back in 2007, “Cupcake” first came to prominence in the sport after her run in the stacked Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Tournament. Winning all her fights in the bracket, Tate went on to dethrone the one-time defending champion Marloes Coenen by fourth round submission.

In 2013, the promotion would end up being acquired by the UFC in a landmark sale, with Tate making her company debut in April of that year, where she lost a close bout to Cat Zingano. She then lost her next contest to bitter rival Ronda Rousey in a bid for the bantamweight strap, leaving her future at the top of the division in question. Shattering all doubts, however, Tate managed to win her next four fights in a row to challenge then 135-lb queen Holly Holm, eventually choking out the phenom to win the bantamweight crown.

Miesha Tate Clarifies Current Status as a Competitor

Competing just this past May at UFC on ESPN 67, Miesha Tate recorded a unanimous decision defeat to Yana Santos. The fight was her first bout in almost two years after a 2023 Octagon excursion at UFC on ESPN 52. In the time period since that event, the former bantamweight titleholder had remained largely silent about her next trip to the cage, or if she was done with fighting in general. That was until an appearance on the JAXXON Podcast this past week, where Miesha Tate provided an update on her future as a competitive martial artist.      

“I’m not officially done. I still have a fight on my contract. I wouldn’t fight more than one more time,” Miesha Tate said.  “I’m not looking to re-sign. I think just one more, if that. But I haven’t decided for sure. I might be leaning towards not.”

While she likely will be through with getting punched in the face for a living, the bantamweight luminary isn’t against busting out her grappling chops every once in a while. 

“Boxing for real? Like, I’m not going to go do that,” she said. “Maybe some grappling competitions. Or even under the UFC banner. Maybe something like that, but we’ll see. I don’t know. I’m getting old, you know.”