Miesha Tate to return at July UFC event following five-year retirement
After nearly five years in retirement, former UFC and Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is returning to action in the Octagon.
While not yet officially announced by the organization, ESPN reported the 34-year-old will face Marion Reneau on Saturday, July 17th as part of a Fight Night event that is not yet on the schedule.
Ironically, this will be the final fight of the 43-year-old Reneau’s career. It’s also the final fight on her deal.
Following retirement, Tate (18-7) had worked as a VP of ONE, the Singapore-based fighting organization.
While her several of her Strikeforce fights were fan favorites, she hit another level of stardom within the sport with her rivalry with Ronda Rousey. She lost the Strikeforce bantamweight title to Rousey in March 2012 and the two later coached a season of The Ultimate Fighter, leading to a second fight Rousey won by third-round submission.
After four straight wins, she submitted Holly Holm for the title in March 2016 at the memorable UFC 196 before succumbing to Amanda Nunes at that July’s UFC 200. After losing a decision to Raquel Pennington in November 2016, she called it quits.
As ESPN’s Brett Okamoto noted, the UFC’s anti-doping policy states an athlete must be subject to a six-month testing window before returning, but the company can waive that requirement based on various circumstances. It’s unknown what the situation is with Tate at this time.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.