Miesha Tate remains uncertain about her future in the UFC octagon.
The former UFC women`s bantamweight champion recently competed at UFC Des Moines, where she lost a unanimous decision to Yana Santos. This fight marked her return after a 17-month hiatus following a submission victory over Julia Avila at UFC Austin in December 2023.
Via an Instagram video, Tate disclosed a severe and painful injury sustained during that prior win against Avila.
Tate explained the injury occurred while she had hooks in on Avila`s back, attempting to aggressively transition positions. This action resulted in her tearing two ligaments, necessitating reconstructive surgery.
“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.”
Despite the long layoff and significant career injury, Tate expressed contentment with her performance against Santos, even in defeat.
Tate initially announced her retirement at UFC 205 in November 2016 after a decisive loss to Raquel Pennington. She returned to the sport nearly five years later, and has since compiled a 2-3 record, including a win over Marion Reneau in her July 2021 comeback bout and the aforementioned win over Julia Avila.
As of now, Tate has not decided if the recent loss to Santos marks the end of her fighting career.
Tate stated she is not making any final decisions regarding her future.
“[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.”
