Miesha Tate has not decided whether to return to UFC Octagon.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion competed in UFC Des Moines earlier this month, taking the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Jana Santos. “Cupcakes” returned from a 17-month layoff after submitting Julia Avila at UFC Austin in December 2023.
Tate revealed in an Instagram video that he suffered a horrific and painful injury that he struggled with the victory.
“I put my hook on her back, one of them was a bit shallow. I really got very aggressive as I tried to push her down from back to her stomach, to her stomach. I tore two if I had to do ligaments and reconstructive surgery,” Tate explained. “It was the most difficult thing I had to do so far, it was more difficult than coming back after giving birth to two children. I woke up at multiple points and thought I would never be able to fight again.
“And after 18 months of layoffs, (and) the biggest injury in my career, I can honestly say I am happy with this performance.
Tate announced his retirement at UFC 205 in November 2016 following the loss of a biased decision to Raquel Pennington. The 38-year-old is back just five years later, and is 2-3, including a victory over Marion Lenaud in the comeback match in July 2021.
For now, Tate has not made a decision whether his defeat to Santos was her final battle.
“I haven’t made the final decision,” Tate said. “(It’s not yet known if I’ll fight again or not. I’m not going to make clear either of them.