Women’s MMA pioneer and former UFC champion Miesha Tate has opted to end her retirement and return to fighting.
Tate (18-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC), who hung up the gloves in November 2016, will make her comeback to the octagon on July 17 when she takes on Marion Reneau (9-7-1 MMA, 5-6-1 UFC) in a women’s bantamweight matchup at a UFC Fight Night event.
MMA Junkie confirmed the news with a person close to the situation following an initial report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Tate, 34, hasn’t won since her stunning come-from-behind title victory over Holly Holm in March 2016 at UFC 194. She went on to lose the belt to Amanda Nunes in her next fight at UFC 200, before losing to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 in a fight that prompted her retirement from MMA.
Since retiring, Tate became a mother of two and worked as an executive for ONE Championship. She said she constantly trained along the way before finally deciding to make a comeback.
Meanwhile, according to the report from ESPN, Reneau, who at 43 is the oldest active fighter on the UFC roster, will opt to retire from the sport after her fight with Tate.
UFC officials have yet to announce the July 17 event that will feature Tate vs. Reneau. Location, venue and broadcast plans remain unknown at this time.
