Bantamweight contender Miesha Tate is out of her October 16 fight with Ketlen Vieira after testing positive for COVID-19.
A high stakes women’s bantamweight bout that was scheduled for this fall will have to wait. Late Wednesday, Sherdog was first to report that former UFC champion Miesha Tate is out of her October 16 bout with Ketlen Vieira. The withdrawal comes after Tate tested positive for COVID-19.
The news comes on the heels of a successful summer return for Tate, who came back after roughly five years in retirement to finish Marion Reneau in July. Her return injected a wave of interest as “Cupcake” left the sport in 2016 as one of the most famous and popular women in the UFC and returned at a time when the bantamweight division has been seeking an intriguing opponent for dominant champion Amanda Nunes. A former Strikeforce champion, Tate is best known for her tenure in the UFC that saw her defeat Holly Holm for the title and her rivalry with Ronda Rousey that helped propel the women’s division to prominence as they arrived in the promotion.
Ketlen Vieira is looking to bounce back from her loss to ranked contender Yana Kunitskaya back in February. Vieira had previously been set for an August meeting with Sara McMann before an injury to McMann canceled the bout. The Brazilian standout remains one of the more highly regarded contenders in the division after opening her career 9-0 before injuries and a loss to Irene Aldana halted her momentum.
The UFC’s October 16 card is scheduled to feature former bantamweight champion Holly Holm in a featherweight bout against Norma Dumont, and former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski against up-and-coming prospect Carlos Felipe. No word yet on whether Vieira will remain on the card. Tate vs. Vieira was expected to headline the Fight Night card; it’s likely another fight will be promoted in its place.
