Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate has her return date set.
Tate (20-9) announced on Monday that she will face Yana Santos (15-8, 1NC) at a UFC event on May 3, 2025. Though not officially announced by the promotion, the Fight Night card is expected to take place in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I’ve still got what it takes and if you doubt me, please stick around,” Tate wrote on social media in conjunction with the announcement.
Miesha Tate has not been in action since a December 2023 victory over Julia Avila. Coincidentally, Avila just lost to Jacqueline Cavalcanti at UFC Vegas 102 over the weekend, with Cavalcanti calling for a fight with Tate. With “Cupcake” now booked against Santos, that will have to wait, but it shows that the former bantamweight champ remains relevant to a division that has almost completely turned over since her title win in 2016.
Tate is ranked #11 in the UFC women’s bantamweight division, and holds wins over Bellator champ and UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche, UFC title challengers Sara McMann and Jessica Eye, Strikeforce champ Marloes Coenen (to claim that promotion’s bantamweight crown), and Holly Holm, who Tate defeated at UFC 196 to win gold in the UFC.
Yana Santos, formerly Kunitskaya, is a former Invicta FC featherweight champ who once challenged Cris Cyborg for the now-defunct women’s 145lb title in the UFC. She returned to bantamweight in 2018, after fighting in the weight class earlier in her career, and has compiled a 7-4 record since. Santos, who is married to former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos, is ranked #10 in the women’s bantamweight division.
The UFC’s May 3, 2025 Fight Night card currently features the following reported match-ups:
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Gillian Robertson
- Trevor Peek vs. Lee Jeong-yeong
- Cameron Smotherman vs. Serhiy Sidey
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Miesha Tate vs. Yana Santos
