Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and pioneer of women’s MMA, Miesha Tate, is making a return to the Octagon. Tate, 38, who is currently ranked No. 12 in the women’s bantamweight rankings, is set to face No. 10 Yana Santos at UFC Des Moines on May 3.
Tate made the announcement on her Instagram, and Santos replied, “See you soon.”
It’s Official: May 3rd vs @yanamma
I’ve still got what it takes and if you doubt me, please stick around.
Mark your calendars 🗓️ – per Miesha Tate on IG.
The fight will mark the first time Tate has competed in the Octagon since December 2023, when she defeated the recently retired Julia Avila via rear-naked choke in the first round.
Santos, 35, is coming off a win over Chelsea Chandler in August 2024. That victory snapped a three-fight skid for Santos. This fight between aging bantamweights has the look of a rankings eliminator.
The loser, depending on how they look in defeat, could fall out of the rankings entirely the following week. Neither Tate nor Santos has been especially active.
Tate didn’t fight in 2024, and she only fought once in 2023. Santos fought once in 2024, twice in 2023, but was inactive all of 2022. Neither woman is considered a serious title contender at this point in their careers, but both have championship fight experience.
In Santos’ UFC debut, she was thrown to the sharks. She competed for the UFC featherweight title against Cris Cyborg. Santos, whose maiden name is Kunitskaya, competed under that name before she married former UFC contender Thiago Santos.
In any case, Santos looked terrified of the Brazilian legend and very uncomfortable at featherweight.
Offering little in the way of resistance, Santos lost via first-round TKO. Santos has had more success competing at bantamweight, going 5-4 with the UFC in her more natural weight class.
Tate should be a Hall of Famer once her fighting days are over. She’s faced a who’s who of top women in the sport during her 19-year MMA career. Tate had a bitter feud with Ronda Rousey that began in Strikeforce and rolled over to the UFC. Rousey won both of those fights via submission.
However, Tate had her moment in the sun when she dethroned Holly Holm—the woman who defeated Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight crown—to become the third champion in the division’s history.
However, Tate lost the title in her first defense when she was submitted by Amanda Nunes in July 2016. That victory kicked off Nunes’ epic run as the queen of the women’s bantamweight division.
It’ll be interesting to see if either woman decides to call it a career following the fight. As of now, here is a look at the other fights lined up for UFC Des Moines:
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Gillian Robertson – Strawweight (115 lbs)
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez – Welterweight (170 lbs)
- Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Jeong Yeong Lee vs. Trevor Peek – Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Cameron Smotherman vs. Serhiy Sidey – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
Keep an eye out as the rest of the card is likely to come together over the next six to eight weeks.
