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Miesha Tate is all set to return to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) action in May this year. The 35-year-old MMA fighter will be making her debut in the 125-pound division after deciding to move down to the flyweight division. The former women’s bantamweight champion is all set to face the no. 3 ranked Lauren Murphy in her debut match, UFC 273.
As per a recent report in MMA Fighting, both the fighters have made a verbal agreement for the bout. However, an official contract is yet to be signed. The date for the much-awaited bout has been pushed back to May 14 from the previously decided date of April 9.
Miesha Tate UFC return clash booked against Lauren Murphy
Tate returned from her retirement in July 2021 after a five-year hiatus to defeat Marion Reneau via third-round technical knockout in her comeback match. However, she went down to Ketlen Vieira four months later via unanimous decision in November. Fight fans believe this loss against Vieira has influenced her to move down a division to find success.
Now, the ex 135-pond queen will hope to shine in the new weight class. But she will have a tough task ahead with Lauren Murphy up against her. Murphy is currently ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds on the official UFC rankings and is coming off a loss to current division champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266. The loss snapped her five-fight win streak.
Before this big revelation, Tate was in the news for calling her fellow fighters desperate for joining OnlyFans. Tate commented on a video interview of herself where she had touched upon the fighter’s pay issue. To this, a user had suggested Tate to join OnlyFans as an alternative to low fighter pay. In reply to the suggestion, Tate wrote, “No where in this video did I say I was desperate.”
Irene Aldana taking on Aspen Ladd will also feature in UFC 273
UFC 273 will also have Irene Aldana taking on Aspen Ladd in a women’s bantamweight bout. There are also rumours that it could feature a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Chan Sung Jung. However, the promotion has yet to book a headliner. Volkanovski was set to defend his title against Max Holloway at UFC 272 a month prior but after “Blessed” suffered an injury, the promotion had to change course.