Miesha Tate looks to turn things around with a move to flyweight

When Miesha Tate returned to the Octagon after a five-year absence, she wanted to show that she still had what it takes to be an elite fighter.

Eventually, she will have championship aspirations, but Tate doesn’t rush to that. Now, the 35-year-old former UFC and Strikeforce bantamweight champion is looking to prove herself in another way.

mixed martial arts fights reports that Tate will make his flyweight debut against former contender Lauren Murphy. Initially scheduled for UFC 273 on April 9, the fight is now scheduled for a UFC card on May 14. by Mike Diablos .

Tate made his MMA debut in 2007. A silver medalist at the 2008 FILA World Grappling Championships, “Cupcake” had a successful season with Strikeforce before joining the UFC in 2013.

She beat Holly Holm to win the UFC bantamweight title in March 2016 at UFC 196, but lost it to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 in July. Tate retired after a loss to Raquel Pennington in November 2016.

During his retirement, Tate joined ONE Championship in a backstage role. She also gave birth to two children during this time.

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Tate defeated Marion Reneau in their comeback fight in July 2021, but lost to Ketlen Vieira in their last fight in November.

Recently, Tate went to his YouTube channel to discuss her next steps, including a possible change from 135 to 125. One factor was that Julianna Pena beat Nunes at UFC 269 to become the UFC bantamweight champion. Another factor is that Tate may have a height and reach advantage at flyweight, something he never had at bantamweight.

“So I’m currently caught up in a very strong debate with myself about whether to stay at 135 pounds or go down to 125,” Tate said, through bloody elbow . “A couple of thought processes on this. I’ve done my entire career at 135, minus a couple of times fighting at 145 just for lack of competition. I always assumed that [135] it was my weight class because there was never a 125 pound shot. Now, as I sit in the second half of my career, I think, ‘Hmm, should I go down?’

“The things that go into that for me, Julianna just became the 135-pound champion. I’m very excited for her, but we’ve been good friends for a long time. We grew up in the sport together and I preferably don’t want to have to fight her, if I can be completely honest. I would prefer that both of us could be champions. “

Murphy, who ranked third in the UFC flyweight rankings, made his professional debut in 2010. Murphy, a former Invicta FC bantamweight champion, joined the UFC in 2014 as a bantamweight and became a flyweight at 2017.

He was on a five-game win streak against stars like Joanne Calderwood and Roxanne Modafferi, earning him a shot at the UFC flyweight title at UFC 266 in September. There, she lost by TKO in the fourth round to champion Valentina Shevchenko.

Since winning the title at UFC 231 in 2018, Shevchenko has defended him six times.