Miesha Tate Defeats Holly Holm At UFC 196 To Earn Bantamweight Title

Miesha Tate opened up a world of possibilities after defeating Holly Holm in the final round of the 135-pound title fight Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC 196 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena, less than four months after Holm’s stunning win over former UFC champion Ronda Rousey in Melbourne, Australia, last November.

Miesha Tate Defeats Holly Holm At UFC 196 To Earn Bantamweight Title

Tate (18-5), who late last year stated she was considering retirement, submitted Holm with a rear-naked choke at 3:30 of the final round of the fight.

Holm seemed to dominate rounds three and four. In the fifth round, Tate, 29, latched onto Holm’s back during a scramble in the middle of the cage. Tate then sneaked her right arm under Holm’s chin, and then Holm front-flipped to the ground in a desperate attempt to break free. Holm (10-1) refused to tap out.

UFC President Dana White stated that Tate’s first bantamweight title defense will come against Rousey, who has not yet set a return date.

“I have waited so long to hear you say that,” she told ring interviewer Joe Rogan when he pronounced her the champion.

“I feel we had a great game plan,” added Tate, a former Strikeforce titleholder. “She’s very dangerous. She’s capable of catching anyone at any moment. She’s a calculated fighter. I thought I had to be like a pit bull with a bone [with the choke]. I knew she wasn’t getting out of that one.”

Tate has lost to Rousey twice before. She reportedly earned just $46,000 for fighting Holm, plus the same amount again for clinching victory.

Tate and Holm could potentially face each other again, perhaps as soon as UFC 200, the biggest promotion in the company’s history, in Las Vegas on July 9.

A third Tate-vs.-Rousey matchup is also possible, which could potentially offer Rousey the opportunity to reclaim her title and Tate the chance to take revenge.

In any case, the women’s bantamweight category may now become the most interesting division in the UFC, just three years after it was initially implemented.

Caption: LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 31: Miesha Tate waits for the start of of her bantamweight fight against Sara McMann during UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tate won the fight by majority decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena