The co-main event of UFC Vegas 31 was a special one, with women’s MMA pioneer Miesha Tate coming out of retirement to fight Marion Reneau, who had previously declared that this fight would be her last before she went into retirement.
Tate threw out a kick to start the fight, and though Reneau was quick with her punches, Tate remained aggressive, stepping in at just the right moments to deliver punches and kicks. Reneau connected with a big right hand, following it up with another one and then a leg kick. After connectiong with a combo, Tate shot for a takedown, forcing Reneau against the cage in the clinch and landing some solid knees to the legs before Reneau was able to break free. A minute left in the round, and Tate charged forward, connecting with a strong right hand to her opponent’s head while Reneau threw out a flurry of punches. A knee from Reneau gave Tate the opportunity to land the takedown she’d been seeking earlier. Reneau threw punches from the bottom and appeared to want to go for a triangle choke before throwing some up-kicks at Tate. Tate moved past Reneau’s legs and got to top half-guard, keeping her weight on top of Reneau as the fighters exchanged short-range strikes until the round ended.
A front kick from Reneau started round two, and she followed it with a few solid strikes with her right hand. Tate got busy with her jab, trying to open up the chance for another takedown. She got that opportunity two minutes into the round, lifting up Reneau — who got a warning for grabbing the fence — and putting her on the ground. Reneau kept Tate in her half-guard and tried to lock up a kimura, but Tate didn’t seem fazed. As Tate stood up, Reneau threw up another up-kick, and Tate moved past her legs to get on top of her and throw some elbows. As the clock wound down, Tate stood up, trying to evade her opponent’s up-kicks, and finished things up inside her guard, getting a last few punches in for good measure.
Tate began round three strong, chasing after a bloodied Reneau with a few jabs that hit their mark. She backed Reneau against the cage and got a few strikes to the body before going for another takedown. She passed to side control, but Reneau had a hold of her head. Once Tate got her head free, though, it was all over — she got her hooks in and threw punch after punch to her opponent’s head, all of them going unanswered. The referee called the figiht, and Tate claimed victory at her first fight since 2016.
Miesha Tate was declared the winner via TKO at 1:53 in the third round.
TATE 2.0
Miesha Tate has officially reignited her career
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