Ex-UFC champ Miesha Tate loses comeback fight at 38 years old

Yana Santos has spoiled the comeback-party for former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate at UFC Des Moines.

Santos and Tate headlined the night's prelims, where they went tit for tat over 15 minutes. Santos outscored Tate over two rounds before forfeiting the third to Tate's grappling.

Almost a decade after submitting Holly Holm for UFC gold, Tate still looked relatively competitive in what could be her last fight at 38 years old.

Yana Santos bests Miesha Tate at UFC Des Moines

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Tate and Santos set a furious pace, mixing up clinchwork and working at range with kickboxing. Tate opened the fight aggressively, sitting down on her punches and throwing with intent to hurt, but they soon found themselves in an exhausted dog-fight.

Santos clinched the first round with damage and low leg kicks that had Tate visibly shook. She stormed into range in the second round in an attempt to mitigate the kicks, but Santos kept her distance and fought with patience.

Santos' gameplan looked too much for the weathered veteran, until Tate secured a takedown and assumed top control in the third round. The crowd erupted as Santos gave up her back and Tate threatened a choke, but the finish never came. It seemed as though Tate banked one round out of three with that late rally.

Result: Yana Santos Unanimous Decision (29-38 x3)

Tate's last performance was a third-round submission over Julia Avila in 2023. Unfortunately, it's looking more and more likely that she'll hang up the gloves soon, if not after this result.

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