Miesha
Tate will return to action in a bantamweight bout against
Yana
Santos on May 3.
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Tate initially revealed the pairing in a post on Instagram, and it
was subsequently confirmed by Santos. The
UFC has not formally announced the fight. The UFC
Fight Night event is expected to take place in Des Moines,
Iowa.
“I’ve still got what it takes and if you doubt me, please stick
around. Mark your calendars,” Tate wrote.
A former Strikeforce
and UFC bantamweight queen, Tate hasn’t competed since defeating
the recently-retired Julia Avila
via third-round submission at UFC on ESPN 52 in December 2023.
“Cupcake” initially retired following a loss to Raquel
Pennington at UFC 205 in November 2016, but she returned to
action in 2021. Tate has fought sporadically since then, posting a
2-2 mark within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Santos, meanwhile, snapped a three-bout skid in her last outing,
when she outpointed Chelsea
Chandler at UFC on ESPN 61 this past August. The former
Invicta FC champion is 5-5 during her Octagon tenure
overall.
“What a dream matchup,” Santos wrote on Instagram. “Thank you UFC
for always giving me opportunities. Miesha Tate
has been my favorite fighter for years. What a dream to share [the]
Octagon with her. I will make sure to bring [the] best version of
myself.”
Yana
Santos vs Miesha Tate